Annual Notice to Students

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974

Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC) adheres to and annually informs students of FERPA, as amended. This act, with which the institution intends to fully comply, was designated to protect the privacy of educational records. Under FERPA students have certain rights with respect to their education records.

These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. Students should submit to the Registrar written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the College official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the College official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as the bookstore, an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the College may disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. The following is considered “Directory Information” at LFCC and may be made available to the general public unless the student notifies the Registrar in writing or via his or her MY LFCC account within five days after the first day of class registration of the regular semester:
   • Student’s name
   • Address
   • Telephone number
   • E-mail Address
   • Major/field of study
   • Grade level
   • Number of credit hours
   • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
   • Height/weight of athletic team members
   • Dates of attendance
   • Degrees, honors and awards received
   • Most recent educational institution attended
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by LFCC to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605 or http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/reg/ferpa/index.html.

For more detailed information concerning LFCC’s records policy, see a representative from the Admissions and Records Office.