ENFORCEMENT

Institutions which violate the Act can be faced with a withdrawal of Federal funding. This, however, has not occurred since the inception of the Act. Typically, complaints are fielded then corrections are made.

Practically speaking, an institution is unlikely to lose funding unless multiple violations occur without any corrective action taken.

Complaints

There are two basic requirements for a complaint to be properly filed against an institution in relation to FERPA infractions:

. The complaint must be made within 180 days of when the infraction was discovered (not necessarily when the infraction occurred).

. There must be sufficient facts (evidence) to prove the violation.

If these criteria are met, the Family Policy Compliance Office will:

. contact the president of the institution and notifies him or her of the violation.

. allow the institution to voluntarily correct their actions/comply with the FERPA regulations.

. offer guidelines on how to better comply with FERPA in the future.