Dear Ashford Student Community,
The California Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Ashford University in November 2017. We deny the allegations made against us and are vigorously defending the case. We are committed to complying with all state and federal regulations – and to doing the right thing for our students.
Recently, in connection with that lawsuit, the California Attorney General has demanded disclosure of Ashford student information. We are obligated by FERPA to notify our students and give them the opportunity to opt out of the disclosure demand.
FERPA protects information found in your student record and includes such things as your academic performance, financial aid, enrollment status, communication to and from the University, and personally identifiable information you have provided to the University. However, this disclosure will not include any credit card information, as this information is not maintained by Ashford.
The information that will be provided to the Attorney General will be subject to a confidentiality order, meaning that neither we nor the Attorney General can disclose any of the information beyond the confines of the court case. We are notifying you of this disclosure to give you the opportunity to object to the release of your FERPA protected information. If you would like to object, please respond to the email you received with the subject line: Notification Regarding FERPA Policy and Student Records. In the body of your response, please provide your First and Last Name, your Date of Birth, and your Student Number (if known).
If you have no objection to the release of your FERPA protected information to the Attorney General, you need do nothing and may disregard this notice.