Under the guidelines of the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), students have certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights are:
- The right to inspect and review your educational records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. You must submit a written request to the registrar [or appropriate official] that specifically identifies the record(s) you wish to inspect.
- The right to request the amendment of educational records if you believe they are inaccurate or misleading. You may write the College official responsible for the record, provided you clearly identify the part of the record you want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested, the College must notify you of that decision in writing.
- The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in your education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent, such as with Directory Information. The College may disclose the following directory information: name, address, email address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, extracurricular activities, dates of attendance, degrees, awards, most recent institution attended, veteran status, and for athletic team members, height and weight. Directory information is provided to representatives of the Department of Defense for recruiting purposes as required by 32CFR216, also known as the Solomon Amendment. If you do not wish for the College to release your directory information, complete the "Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information" form available in Enrollment Services. You must submit this form each quarter in order to prevent disclosure. Be aware that asking to withhold directory information may prevent other colleges and employers from receiving information that might be used to your advantage.
- Non-directory information may be disclosed to SPSCC school officials who have legitimate educational interests in the student record. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20202-4605
- Releasing your educational records:
SPSCC students are expected to activate and monitor their SPSCC email account, as this is the primary method the college will use to communicate with students. The College may release requested information via that email address without a release form. To release information to others, you will need to submit a Student Consent for Release of Records. This form must be submitted in person by the student or student’s representative (with a copy of the student’s valid photo identification including signature) to the One Stop on the Olympia or Lacey Campus or from your my.spscc.edu account. Any other release forms sent directly from an outside organization or third-party must be on agency letterhead or be a court document, and include student signature.