For more Information please contact the PCC Registrar's Office at (719) 549-3018
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), commonly known as the Buckley Amendment, affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. FERPA rights are afforded to the students at the time of course registration. The Act helps protect the privacy of your records by requiring that PCC limits the disclosure of information from these records to third persons, as well as notify you of the right to review and correct your records.
Pueblo Community College (PCC) may release the following directory information about you to the public:
- Student name
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- Height and weight (only for students in officially recognized activities and sports)
- Major field of study
- Most recent educational institution attended
- Dates of attendance
- Degrees and awards received
If you do not wish PCC to release this information, you must file a written request with the Records Office.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. FERPA rights are afforded to the students at the time of admission. These rights include:
1) The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day PCC receives a request for access. A student should submit to the Records Office a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the Registrar, staff shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2) The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights. A student who wishes to ask PCC to amend a record should write the Registrar (who will notify the college official responsible for the record), clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested, the College will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3) The right to provide written consent before PCC discloses personally identifiable information from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to College officials with legitimate educational interests. A College official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using college employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the College Board; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. PCC has designated the National Student Clearinghouse as a College official. A College official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the College. Upon request, the College discloses education records, without a student's consent, to officials of another school, in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or after enrollment. The college may share educational records to parents in the following circumstances: for a student who is dependent under I.R.S. tax code; a student under 21 years old who has violated a law or the schools rules or policies governing alcohol or substance abuse; and when the information is needed to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals in an emergency.
FERPA Annual Notice to Reflect Possible Federal and State Data Collection and Use As of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which your education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records - including the Social security Number, grades, or other private information - may be accessed without your 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 your records and PII without your consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal or stare-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 nay program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to your education records and PII without your consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, in certain cases even when we object to or don 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 your 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 your consent PII from your educational records, and they may track your participation in educational and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about your 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.
The Colorado Community College System considers the following to be directory information and PCC staff may disclose this information, without prior consent, to anyone inquiring in person, by phone, or in writing: Student name; Major field of study; most recent educational institution attended; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; height and weight (only for students in officially recognized activities and sports); dates of student attendance; and degrees / certificates and awards student has earned.
Additionally, address, phone number, and e-mail addresses of students may be released to military recruiters upon request in accordance with the Solomon Amendment. All other information contained in student records is considered private and not open to the public without the student’s written consent. Students who do not want their directory/public information released to third parties or students who do not want to be listed in the College Directory should complete a form to suppress directory information. This form is available online, at the Registrar’s Office or at the Fremont Campus or SCCC - East or West Campuses.
4) 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, SW Washington, DC 20202-5901
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I. B. Statement of Philosophy and Policy on Student Records
Pueblo Community College maintains various records concerning students to document their academic progress as well as to counsel effectively with them. In order that the students' rights to privacy are preserved, as well as to conform to federal law, the College has established certain procedures to govern the handling of student records.
Federal regulations, as they relate to student records, are governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 or Buckley Amendment (FERPA). Generally, FERPA provides that currently enrolled or former students have the right of access to their educational records and the opportunity for a hearing to challenge such records, if necessary, on the grounds that the records are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate.
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II. Directory Information
In compliance with the federally enacted regulations of FERPA, and as defined by PCC, directory information regarding students attending listed at the top of the page, will only be released. Information contained in personal files of the student is considered confidential and requires written authorization by the student for release.
The Registrar, upon inquiry, will release public information pertaining to any individual student unless the student has requested that specific items not be released. A student's request to have "public" information withheld must be filed at the Office of the Registrar. Once a student or previous student has filed to have public information withheld, it will remain in effect until a second written statement is filed with the Office of the Registrar declaring the information may be released. Requests to withhold information do not expire and will be honored regardless of whether or not the student is enrolled. Students and previous students/graduates are warned that restrictions to withhold information include verification of attendance and graduation to prospective employers. Partial or whole lists of students by name and address will not be released for commercial purposes other than to the Military pursuant to the Solomon’s Amendment unless the student has filed a written statement to withhold the public information.
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III. Confidential Information
With the exception of the information noted above, all student records are considered to be confidential and are open only to College personnel who need the information to carry out their official responsibilities (assigned duties and functions). Although College personnel are authorized access to this information on a "need-to-know" basis (to perform specific duties and functions), they are not permitted to release information to persons outside the College unless authorized in writing by the student, by a court order, or according to the exceptions listed in IV-C. Only the official or designated person responsible for the records has the authority to release them.
Records that are provided to a third party with the student’s consent may not be released to another individual (by the third party) without the written consent of the student.
It is important that a record of access (of persons other than College employees responsible for working with the records and College officials who have legitimate educational interests--need to know to fulfill official responsibilities--) to student records be kept by the record holder which indicates:
Name and signature of person who requested or examined the file;
The purpose for which the file was accessed;
Date on which access to record occurred;
A clear notice that the information must not be released by a third party without the consent of the student.
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IV. A. Rights of Access and Review of Records
Students have the right to inspect, review, or receive an interpretation of copies of their educational records, except as excluded below. This right may be exercised by filing a Request for Access form with the custodian of the records to which access is desired. Such requests should be honored within 45 days.
If a copy(ies) of a portion or all of the records in a student's file is requested, the custodian of the records may charge a fee for copies made, provided the fee does not effectively prevent students from exercising their right to inspect and review (under supervision of a College employee) their records. The fee does not include an amount to search for or to retrieve records. Standard College fee in Printing and Duplication Services is $2 per original page or $50 for the department record, or $100 for all college records. The appropriate custodian of the records may require additional charges that will be identified to the student at the time of the request. Copies will not be released in the event there is an outstanding financial obligation to the institution. However, arrangements will be made for the student to inspect and review his/her records under the supervision of a College employee or College appointed proxy. The Office of the Registrar processes all requests for Student Records.
Each custodian of records is responsible for requiring proper identification of an individual making the request about his/her records.
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IV. B. Limitation on Access
Educational institutions are not required to make available to students in institutions of post-secondary education the following records:
Financial records of the parents of the students or any information contained therein;
Records maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other recognized professionals are not open for student's inspection. Students may, however, have an appropriate professional of their choosing inspect such records;
Confidential recommendations for admission, employment, or honors are not open to student access if the student has waived his/her right to access. General waiver forms are available and on file at the Registrar's Office;
Law enforcement records maintained solely for law enforcement purposes are unavailable for student access and may be used only by law enforcement officials;
Records of instructional, supervisory, and administrative personnel and educational personnel ancillary thereto which are in the sole possession of the maker thereof and which are not accessible or revealed to any other person except a substitute (an individual who performs on a temporary basis the duties of the individual who made the record).
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IV. C. Supplementary Exceptions
In addition to the student access stipulations, FERPA provides that the College may release, without the student's permission, personally identifiable educational records to:
Officials or faculty of the College who have legitimate educational interest (need to know to fulfill official responsibilities);
Officials of other schools or school systems in which the students seek to enroll; in this instance, no notice of release of records needs to be sent to the student;
Certain federal and state educational authorities: (99.31)
( i) the Comptroller General of the United States;
( ii) the Secretary;
( iii) the Commissioner, the Director of the National Institute of Education;
( iv) state educational authorities;
Accrediting and College-approved testing agencies;
Parents of dependent students (requires a copy of most recent year’s federal tax return that clearly indicates the parent has claimed the student for income tax purposes);
Appropriate parties in connection with an emergency when the immediate health or safety of the student is threatened, and where the information will help resolve the crises;
Persons presenting an officially related judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
Institutions from which the student has received, or applied to for financial aid; and
The court, without a court order or subpoena, if the student’s education records are necessary for the College to defend itself when a parent or eligible student initiates legal action against the College.
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