Pursuant to the passage of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 20 U.S.C. 1232g (the “Buckley Amendment”) and subsequent amendments and clarifications by the U.S. Senate Joint Resolution No. 40, the Board of Trustees of the University System of New Hampshire adopted a policy which assures a student access to education records which pertain to matriculation within Keene State College.

Please note that as of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education’s FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which a student's education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records - including Social Security Number, grades, or other private information - may be accessed without the student's consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities (“Federal and State Authorities”) may allow access to a student's records and PII without a student's consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is “principally engaged in the provision of education,” such as early childhood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to a student's education records and PII without the student's consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, in certain cases even when we object to or do not request such research. Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive a student's PII, but the Authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without the student's consent PII from the student's education records, and they may track a student's participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about the student that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service, and migrant student records systems.

In general, the law provides that:

a. Student records are confidential, with the exception of predetermined public directory information.

Privacy Hold Policy. Directory information, either published or in dealing with routine inquiries, is defined by Keene State College as the following:

• Name
• Mailing address
• Mailing telephone
• Local/campus address
• Local/campus telephone
• E-mail address (KSC)
• Date/Place of birth
• Major(s)
• Dates of attendance
• Degree(s) and awards received

All other information contained in official student education records is available only to those persons within the College who have a legitimate need for it, and to all others, only with the expressed consent (i.e., signature) of the student. To request a hold, change an existing hold, or removed a hold, please submit the Privacy Request form.

The following options are available to students:

Choice 1: In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), items designated to be “Directory Information” may not be disclosed without prior written consent, unless the student has submitted a written request not to release their directory information. Directory Information includes Name, Mailing Address, Mailing Telephone, Local/Campus Address, Local/campus Telephone, KSC E-mail Address, Date/Place of Birth, Major(s), Dates of Attendance, and Degree(s)/Awards received. Check below to restrict the release of your Directory Information. **Please note: this would include omission from the Dean’s List.

Choice 2: Requesting this hold will result in all Directory Information being held in confidence. A student’s presence and performance at KSC (e.g., Dean’s List) will not be acknowledged in response to routine inquiries. Students are advised to seek advice and counseling from the Registrar before choosing this option, as it is very restrictive.

Once a student places a privacy hold of either type upon their record, it shall remain in place until the Registrar’s Office is notified by the student to change or remove the hold. This applies even if the student separates themselves from the institution.

b. Students shall have access to their official education records with the exception of financial aid records submitted by parents, confidential references submitted prior to January 1, 1975, and medical, psychiatric, and counseling records used only in connection with providing treatment to the student. A student may have a doctor or other professional examine and explain medical, psychiatric, and counseling records, and may, at the discretion of the Coordinator of Health Service, obtain at their own expense, copies of their medical (exclusive of psychiatric and counseling) records.

c. Students shall have the right to know information contained in their education record and to have a hearing to determine the appropriateness of such information remaining in the record. The following offices maintain educational records on all students enrolled at the College:

Student Accounts Office – Elliot Center
Registrar’s Office – Elliot Center
Dean of Students’ Office – Elliot Center

The following offices maintain education records for some of the students enrolled at the College:

Student Academic Support Services – Elliot Center
Dean of Faculty Affairs -- Rhodes Hall
Office of Intercollegiate Athletics – Spaulding Gymnasium
Center for Health and Wellness – Elliot Center
Transitions & Community Living – Lloyd P. Young Student Center
Student Accounts Office – Elliot Center
Student Financial Aid – Elliot Center
Educator Preparation Office – Rhodes Hall
Office of Research and Graduate Studies - Alumni Center

For more information concerning the Buckley Amendment or for assistance in locating individuals or offices maintaining a student’s educational record, contact the Registrar’s Office, Elliot Center.