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FERPA & Student Privacy

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records. Generally, Colleges must have written permission from a student to release information from their educational records.

However, there are exceptions that permit Colleges to release information without a student’s consent. Learn more below.

FERPA Video Overview

This video - produced by the U.S. Department of Education -  provides an overview of your privacy rights and highlights the key points of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which protcts your privacy rights as a student at Pikes Peak State College.


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Consent to Release Information Form

Students wishing to release any of the following information below to particular persons or agencies should complete and submit the form below.

  • Admission Application
  • Transcript, Grade Information or GPA
  • Class Schedule, or Enrollment Status
  • Acount Balance or Payments, or Financial Aid Information
  • Police Reports or Disciplinary Sanctions
  • Veteran Affairs Info
  • Other student record information
Note: This is a release of information, it does not give permission to act on behalf of the student, including but not limited to account updates and registration.
 
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Directory Information

The Colorado Community College System considers the following to be directory information and Pikes Peak State College staff may disclose this information, without prior consent, to anyone inquiring in person, by phone, or in writing: 

  • Student name
  • Major field of study
  • Dates of student attendance
  • Degrees / certificates and awards student has earned
  • Most recent educational institution attended by the student
  • Enrollment status (full time, part time, etc.)
  • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports; and if participating in an officially recognized activity or sport, height, weight, and high school attended.
All other information contained in student records is considered private and not open to the public without the student’s written consent.

 

Personal Identifiable Information

Addresses (including mail and e-mail) are considered Personal Identifiable Information (PII) and are not released as Directory Information, except for the following:

  • Graduation lists released to news media, which may include the student’s city of residence.
  • Other listings to the news media and college personnel for special awards, honors, and events.
  • Notification to Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and other academic honor societies for students who are eligible to be considered for membership.
Additionally, name, address, phone number, date and place of birth, level of education, most recently attended college, field of study, and degree(s) received of students may be released to military recruiters upon request in accordance with the Solomon Amendment
 
Students not wishing to hav their directory information released to third parties, students, or listed in the College Directory should complete the form below.
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Centennial Campus

Student Rights Under FERPA

A student should submit to the Records, 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, they shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

A student who wishes to ask Pikes Peak State College 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 using the Student Grievance Procedure SP 4-31. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.

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. Pikes Peak State College 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 your 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 state-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 any 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 do 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 education records, and they may track your participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about you 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 name and address of the Federal Office which administers FERPA is: