Release of Deceased Students Educational Records

I. Policy Statement

1. 1. When Fort Lewis College learns and verifies that a current or former student is deceased, the student’s record will be marked as “deceased” by the Registrar.
   2. Educational records of deceased students are not subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA).  However, it is the College’s policy to keep them confidential.
   3. Educational records are defined as any records that are directly related to a student and maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution.
   4. Educational records of a deceased student may be released to a spouse (married or not), the executor of the student’s estate, immediate family members, or pursuant to a court order or lawfully issued subpoena.
   5. The request for the educational records of a deceased student must be addressed to the Registrar with the following information:
      1. Deceased student’s name and date of birth.
      2. Requestor’s name, address, phone number, and evidence that he or she meets one of the requirements described in Section D above.
      3. A list of the specific records being requested.
   6. Only the Registrar or designee may release the records to the requestor.  Only under extraordinary circumstances, and at the Registrar’s sole discretion, the Registrar may release the records to those who are not listed in the Section D.

III. Responsibilities 

For following the policy: Registrar

For enforcement of the policy: Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management

For oversight of the policy: President

For notification of policy: Policy Librarian

For procedures implementing the policy: Registrar and Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management