The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords you certain rights with respect to your records. They are:
- The right to inspect and review your education records within 45 days of the day Peninsula College receives a request for access.
- You should submit a written request to Student Services (Pirate Central) that identify the record(s) you wish to inspect. The Vice President for Student Services (or designee) will arrange for access and notify you of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
- The right to request the amendment of your education records that you believe inaccurate or misleading.
- You may ask Peninsula College to amend a record that you believe is inaccurate or misleading. You should write to the Vice President for Student Services, clearly identify the part of the record you want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. Note: if you wish to request a change of grade that has been recorded correctly on your records, you must follow the grade appeal procedure described on the College’s website (http://pencol.edu/student-policies-and-procedures/grade-appeal). If Peninsula College decides to not amend the record as requested, you will be notified and advised of your right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided when you are notified of the right to a hearing.
- The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in your education records, except to the extent the FERPA authorized disclosure without consent.
- One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to a college official, including faculty members, with legitimate education interests. A college official is a person employed by Peninsula College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including security, alumni office and development office personnel); a person or company with who Peninsula College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agency); a person serving on the Board of trustees: or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. Volunteers and interns serving in any of these capacities are also considered school officials. A college official has a legitimate education interest if the official needs to review an education record to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, Peninsula College may disclose education records without consent to official of another school in which you are currently enrolled, receive services, or seek or intend to enroll.
- The right to prevent disclosure of directory information.
- Peninsula College may release “directory information” concerning a student to the public. Directory information consists of name, address, telephone listing, field of study, weight and height of athletes, most recent previous school attended, photograph, date and place of birth, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, dates of attendance, degrees and awards. In addition, level of education and prior military experience may also be provided to representatives of the department of defense for recruiting purposes. * If you choose to have Peninsula College not release your directory information, notify the Student Services in writing by using the form available at Pirate Central. You should be aware that asking Peninsula College to withhold directory information may prevent other colleges and employers from receiving information that might be to your advantage.
- The right to file a complaint with the U. S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Peninsula 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, D. C. 20202-4605
- The right to obtain a copy of Peninsula College’s student records policy. This policy is available at Pirate Central.