FERPA Policy

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides certain rights to students with respect to their education records. Those rights are as follows:

The right to inspect and review the education record within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access

Students should submit a written request to the Records Office identifying the records(s) they wish to inspect. The Director of Records will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. Chattahoochee Technical College provides web access to some student records through BannerWeb, provided the student has an up to date username and password. Inspection of paper documents may be accomplished by contacting the Records Office at 770-528-4527 or 770-528-4559 and setting up an appointment.

The right to request amendment of the education record if the student believes the record is inaccurate or misleading

Students may ask the College to amend a record believed to be inaccurate or misleading. The student should submit the written request to the Director of Records and clearly identify the part of the record that is believed to be inaccurate or misleading. The student should specify why the information is inaccurate or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his/her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified on the right to a hearing.

The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education record, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent

One exception that permits disclosure without consent is a disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, or support staff position (including the Chattahoochee Technical College Police Department). Additionally, a person or company with whom the College has contracted is considered a school official for this purpose; i.e. the College Attorney, an auditor, collection agent, Board of Trustees member, student serving on an official committee, student assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. 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. Upon request, the College discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

The right to file a complaint with the United States Department of Education concerning alleged failure of the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA

The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is the Family Compliance Office, United States Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington DC 20202-5920

Directory Information

FERPA requires the College, with certain exceptions, to obtain a student’s written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from that student’s education records. 

However, the College may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent unless the student has advised the College to the contrary. Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without the student’s prior written consent. 

If a student does not want the College to disclose directory information from his or her student education records without prior written consent, the student must notify the College in writing by the first day of the semester at the Records Office. A student need only file this notification once during his or her enrollment.  However, if a student enrolls in another TCSG technical college, a new notification must be filed.

Even if a student elects to prohibit the release of directory information, the College may still implement policies requiring the student to wear or present a student ID badge. 

The Technical College System of Georgia and its technical colleges define "directory information" as follows:

• Full name of student
• Address(es)
• Telephone number(s)
• County of residence
• Email address(es)
• Major and field(s) of study
• Degrees and awards including nature and date received
• Dates of attendance
• School or division of enrollment
• Enrollment status (i.e., full or part-time, undergraduate, graduate)
• Name of institution last attended
• Participation in official sports and activities
• Height and weight of athletic team members
• Photograph(s)

In accordance to FERPA, the College may release additional information without the student’s written consent to the following:

• School officials, as identified by the College, determined by the College to have a legitimate educational interest in the student information
• Officials of other institutions to which the student seeks enrollment
• Persons or organizations providing financial aid to the student or determining financial aid decisions
• Accrediting organizations carrying out their accrediting functions
• A parent of a student who has established that the student is a dependent according to the IRS Code of 1986, Section 152
• Persons in compliance with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena
• Persons in an emergency situation, if the knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other persons

Information to Military Recruiters

The Solomon Amendment to FERPA requires the College, upon request, to provide “student recruiting information” on any currently enrolled student who is at least 17 years old to any branch of the armed services. “Student recruiting information” is defined by federal law as name, address, telephone numbers, age or date of birth, class level, degrees received, major, most recent educational institution attended. Recruiters must submit their requests in writing to the Records Office.

Questions regarding Chattahoochee Technical College’s compliance with FERPA may be directed to the Records Office, 770.528.4527.

Reference:

34 C.F.R. §99.1 - §99.67 - Family Educational Rights and Privacy

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. §1232g)

TCSG State Policy:V.J. Student Records