Howard University Student Records: Your Legal Protection

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is the dominant federal law that protects student information at Howard University. The Office of Recording at Howard University School of Law is responsible for recording and reporting grades, certifying student enrollment, and maintaining all official student academic records. The office acts in accordance with the Howard University Policy governing the Maintenance of Student Records, the Rights of Students Regarding Such Records, and the Release of Information on Students to Third Parties. Students can choose to have their directory information marked as confidential, and the university will honor this request.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

FERPA has two primary objectives: firstly, it empowers parents and eligible students to access information in the student's education record, and secondly, it safeguards that information from unauthorised disclosure. Under FERPA, parents have certain rights regarding their children's education records, including the right to access, amend, and control the disclosure of personally identifiable information. When a student turns 18 or enters a postsecondary institution at any age, the rights under FERPA transfer from the parents to the student, who then becomes an "eligible student".

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is responsible for enforcing FERPA and publishes binding rules for compliance in the Federal Register. The DOE's Family Policy Compliance Office issues opinion letters that provide guidance on what is and is not considered a FERPA violation. While FERPA protects the privacy of student records, it is important to note that not every document that mentions a student is considered a FERPA record. The courts have typically limited the scope of FERPA to records that are directly related to a student's educational activity.

To be considered an "education record" under FERPA, a document must meet two essential criteria: it must directly relate" to a student, and it must be maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a person acting for such agency or institution. This means that certain records, such as security camera footage, are typically not considered FERPA records. Additionally, once all identifying information is removed from a document ("redacted"), it is no longer considered a FERPA education record and may be subject to disclosure under state open-records laws.

Howard University, in alignment with FERPA, has a policy in place to maintain the confidentiality of student records and protect the rights of students regarding their records. The university ensures that information contained within student records is protected to the fullest extent of the law. This includes transcripts, academic records, letters of recommendation, and other similar documents, which will not be released outside of the university, even upon the student's request.

Student Privacy Rights Policy

The Howard University "Student Privacy Rights Policy" ensures that information contained within the education records of all students is protected to the fullest extent of the law. The Office of the Registrar is the official repository of academic records and is responsible for recording and reporting grades, issuing transcripts, certifying enrollment, coordinating class scheduling, managing consortia and domestic exchange programs, and maintaining official student academic records.

The dominant federal law pertaining to student information is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA permits Howard faculty, staff, and representatives to discuss the content of a student's education record with a third party only if specific regulations are met. Students may choose to have their directory information marked as confidential, public, or shared with outside entities. Students can also provide electronic consent for the release of records to third parties.

Howard University also has policies in place regarding the confidentiality of student records. The Office of Recording acts in accordance with the Howard University Policy governing the Maintenance of Student Records, the Rights of Students Regarding Such Records, and the Release of Information on Students to Third Parties. Transcripts or other official academic records, letters of recommendation, and similar documents will not be released outside of the college, even when requested by the student. Students have the right to challenge the content of their records and request changes if necessary.

Additionally, Howard University must comply with federal and state regulations governing the disclosure of student information. This includes providing information to other educational institutions the student is enrolled in or intends to enroll in, and to federal, state, and local officials when required by law. Records maintained by public safety for law enforcement purposes may also be disclosed.

Third-party access

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is the dominant federal law pertaining to student information at Howard University. FERPA permits Howard faculty, staff, and representatives to discuss the content of a student's education record with a third party only if specific regulations are met. Students can access step-by-step directions on how to manage third-party permissions in Canvas. The Manage Third-Party Permission feature in BisonHub (powered by Workday) allows students to indicate whether they wish to have their directory information made public or not, and whether the University can share directory information with outside entities.

Howard University's Office of the Registrar is the official repository of academic records. The Office is responsible for recording and reporting grades, issuing transcripts, certifying enrollment, coordinating class scheduling, managing consortia and domestic exchange programs, and maintaining official student academic records. The Office of Recording acts in accordance with the Howard University Policy governing the maintenance of student records, the rights of students regarding such records, and the release of information on students to third parties.

Howard University's "Student Privacy Rights Policy" ensures that information contained within the education records of all students is protected to the fullest extent of the law. Students may choose at any time to have their directory information marked as confidential by accessing the "Manage My Privacy Settings" task in BisonHub.

Record maintenance

The Office of the Registrar at Howard University is the official repository of academic records. The office is responsible for recording and reporting grades, issuing transcripts, certifying enrollment, coordinating class scheduling, managing consortia and domestic exchange programs, and maintaining official student academic records.

Howard University ensures that information contained within the education records of all students is protected to the fullest extent of the law. The dominant federal law pertaining to student information is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA permits Howard faculty, staff, and representatives to discuss the content of a student's education record with a third party only if specific regulations are met. Students may choose to have their directory information marked as confidential by accessing the Manage My Privacy Settings task in BisonHub. Here, they can indicate whether they wish to have their directory information made public or not and whether the university can share directory information with outside entities.

Howard University also uses the Manage Third-Party Permissions feature in BisonHub for electronic consent for the release of records. Students can access step-by-step directions on how to complete these steps by viewing the Manage Third-Party Permission Job Aid in Canvas.

The Office of Recording acts in accordance with the Howard University Policy governing the Maintenance of Student Records, the Rights of Students Regarding Such Records, and the Release of Information on Students to Third Parties. The office remains committed to providing efficient quality services to students, faculty, staff, and the community at large.

Howard Community College also has a Confidentiality of Student Records Policy. According to this policy, transcripts or other official academic records, letters of recommendation, and similar comments and observations received by the college from secondary schools and other colleges and universities will not be released outside of the college, even when requested by the student. Students must be given a copy of the record before transmittal and provided with an opportunity to challenge the content or release of the record. If the challenge cannot be resolved informally, the student is entitled to a hearing before an appropriate adjudicatory body of the college as designated by the president.

Challenging content

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is the dominant federal law that protects student information at Howard University. FERPA permits Howard faculty, staff, and representatives to discuss the content of a student's education record with a third party only if specific regulations are met. The university's "Student Privacy Rights Policy" outlines the steps students can take to manage their privacy settings and choose whether to share their directory information with outside entities.

Howard University's Office of the Registrar is the official repository of academic records. The office is responsible for recording and reporting grades, issuing transcripts, certifying enrollment, coordinating class scheduling, managing consortia and domestic exchange programs, and maintaining official student academic records.

The university's policy states that students must be given a copy of their record and have the opportunity to challenge its content or release before it is transmitted to other educational institutions. If a student wishes to challenge the content of their record, they must clearly identify the part of the record they want to be changed and specify why it should be changed. If the challenge cannot be resolved informally, the student is entitled to a hearing before an appropriate adjudicatory body designated by the university president.

Howard Community College, which is likely affiliated with Howard University, has a similar policy regarding the confidentiality of student records. The college states that transcripts, letters of recommendation, and other official academic records will not be released outside of the college, even when requested by the student.

Frequently asked questions