The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that affords students certain rights with respect to their education records, in particular the privacy of those records. Relay fully complies with the provisions outlined in FERPA.
Annual Notice to Students
Annually, Relay informs students of their rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the regulations relating to FERPA promulgated by the Department of Education. Together, FERPA and the FERPA regulations provide that:
- Students have a right to inspect and review their education records;
- Students may request that any such record be amended if they believe that it is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of their privacy;
- Relay will obtain the students’ written consent prior to disclosing personally identifiable information about the student from their education records, unless such consent is not required by FERPA and the FERPA regulations;
- Students have a right to file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office of the Department of Education if they feel that Relay has failed to comply with the requirements of FERPA and the FERPA regulations; and
- Students may obtain a copy of the Relay’s Guidelines for Compliance with FERPA.
Relay’s Guidelines for Compliance with FERPA are available from the Registrar’s Office.
Access to Records
Requests to review records, for copies of the statute or its attendant regulations, or for additional information concerning FERPA should be directed to support@relay.edu.
Authorization to Report to Outside Entities
All students are required to sign the enrollment agreement, which grants Relay authorization to share reports on their application to Relay, including supplementary materials, their academic performance and conduct in the program with designated representatives of the school that employs them, an educational program for which they perform services, the teacher preparation program in which they are a participant, any entity that funds their Relay education, or/and external evaluation firms and research partners that Relay hires or contracts with. These reports may include without limitation students’ résumés; transcripts; academic progress; grades and evaluations; completion of degree; compliance with state, certification/licensure, and immunization requirements; timeliness of tuition and fee payment; disciplinary actions; and continued enrollment status. The enrollment agreement grants Relay authorization to determine in its sole discretion the schedule for providing this information and the information to be provided at the time.
Students also authorize Relay to request regular reports on their employment in the school that employs them, information related to their performance and evaluation(s), and de-identified performance data on the PK–12 students in their classrooms throughout their enrollment at Relay and after they leave Relay.
Directory Information
Pursuant to FERPA and the FERPA regulations, Relay hereby designates the following student information as “directory information”: name (legal and preferred), dates of attendance, school of employment, teaching assessment, class, previous institution(s) attended, program of study/academic program, enrollment status (e.g., full or part time), level of education, degree(s) conferred (including dates), and honors and awards (including graduation honors). Email addresses are directory information for internal purposes only and will not be made available to the general public except in specified directories from which students may opt out.
Directory information may be disclosed for any purpose. Under federal law, address information, telephone listings, and date and place of birth are also considered directory information for military-recruitment purposes. “Address” refers to both physical mailing address and email address. All other information not listed as directory information will not be disclosed.
Currently enrolled students may refuse disclosure of this information. To do so, students must complete the directory nondisclosure form, which can be downloaded from Support Center. A hold will be placed on the release of directory information, and it will remain in effect until students file a written request to remove it.
If students do not specifically request the withholding of directory information by filing the directory nondisclosure form, Relay assumes that they approve of the disclosure of such information. Relay disclaims any and all liability for inadvertent disclosure of directory information designated to be withheld.
Education Records
"Education records" available for review are defined as those records, files, documents, and other materials that contain information directly related to students and are maintained by Relay. The form in which the information is maintained by Relay does not matter; for example, computerized or electronic files, audiotape or videotape, photographic images, film, etc., with such information are "education records." This includes communications and documents distributed or received by email or other similar Relay systems that are retained in these systems, either by the sending or receiving party. In general, the records maintained by Relay that are available for students’ review are records pertaining to admissions, academic performance, advising, financial aid, and billing. Students have the right to review original documents from their files.
Under FERPA and its related regulations, the following types of Relay records are not "education records" and are, therefore, not available for students’ review:
- Personal notes or records (including computerized files) that are kept by an individual Relay employee solely in her or his possession, used only as a personal memory aid, and not accessible or revealed to others, except to a temporary substitute;
- Records that relate to an individual who is employed by Relay and that (a) are made and maintained in the normal course of business, (b) are not available for use for any other purpose, and (c) relate exclusively to the individual in that individual's capacity as an employee. This exception does not apply to records that relate to students in attendance at Relay who are employed as a result of their status as students;
- Medical and psychiatric records created, maintained, and used only in connection with the treatment of students and that are not available to anyone other than the persons providing such treatment. Such records can be personally reviewed by a physician, psychologist, or other appropriate health professional of students’ choice;
- Records that contain information relating to individuals who no longer are students at Relay and that are not directly related to their attendance as students, e.g., alumni records;and/or
- Grades or peer-graded papers before they are collected and recorded by a faculty member.
Release of Education and Enrollment Records
Relay will release student records only upon receipt of a written request from students. Students may request their records by submitting a transcript-request form or enrollment letter request form, which are both available on Support Center. Requests must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office per the directions on the form. Upon receipt of the form, Relay will release the appropriate student records. This information may also be furnished to agencies or individuals authorized by law to review such records.