J-300 Education Records, Directory Information, and Privacy

The College shall ensure that Student records are maintained in compliance with applicable federal and state laws relating to the privacy of student records.

The College will maintain a cumulative record of each Student's enrollment, scholarship, and educational progress.

Education records related to a Student are maintained by the College or by someone acting for the College. Education records are not:

• A personal memory aid kept in the sole possession of the person who created it. It is accessible or revealed to anyone except a temporary substitute for the person who made the record.

• Records of a law enforcement unit of the College.

  • Records of a law enforcement unit means those records, files, documents, and other materials created by a law enforcement unit, created for a law enforcement unit, and maintained by the law enforcement unit. Records or law enforcement do not include:

    • Records created by a law enforcement unit and for a law enforcement purpose that are maintained by a component of the College other than the law enforcement unit or,

    • Records created and maintained by a law enforcement unit exclusively for a non-law enforcement purpose, such as a disciplinary action or proceeding conducted by the educational agency or institution.

• Records relating to an Employee that are made and maintained in the normal course of business, related exclusively to the individual in that individual’s capacity as an Employee, and are not available for use for any other purpose. However, Student-Employee records remain education records.

• Medical or treatment records of a Student who is 18 years of age or older and is attending the College that are: 

  • Made or maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other recognized professional or paraprofessional acting in their professional capacity or assisting in a paraprofessional capacity.

  • Made, maintained, or used only in connection with the treatment of the Student.

  • Disclosed only to individuals providing the treatment. For this definition, “treatment” does not include remedial educational activities or activities that are part of the program of instruction at the agency or institution.

• Records created or received by the College after an individual left the College are directly related to the individual's attendance as a Student.

Peer-graded paper grades before the Instructor collects and records them. 

The College will implement appropriate safeguards to ensure that student records cannot be accessed or modified by anyone unauthorized.

Any currently enrolled or former Student of the College has a right of access to all Student records relating to them maintained by the College. Students shall be notified of their rights regarding Student records, including the definition of Directory Information contained here, and that they may limit the information. No representative of the College shall release the contents of a Student record to any member of the public without the prior written consent of the Student, other than Directory Information as defined in this Policy and information sought under a court order or lawfully issued subpoena, or as otherwise authorized by applicable federal and state laws.

RELEASE OF EDUCATION RECORDS

No Employee or District Board member shall authorize access to Student records to any person except under the following circumstances:

• Education records can be released to the Student themselves.

• Education records shall be released to a third party under a Student's written consent.

• “Directory Information” may be released without consent per the following information:

  • Student name.

  • Student address.

  • Student phone number.

  • College-assigned student email account.

  • Major field of study.

  • Full-time or part-time status.

  • Dates of attendance.

  • Credits earned toward a diploma.

  • Degrees and awards received.

  • Photos and videos of Students for use in college press releases, publications, and websites.

• Limited Directory Information may be released in conjunction with Directory Information under specific circumstances, including to comply with Solomon Amendment federal law which governs the release of information to military recruiters. Limited Directory Information includes:

  • Date of birth

• Education records may be released to individuals having legitimate educational interests, including Employees of the College, Board of Trustee members, or Employees of the Foundation only for the purpose of performing tasks related to their work for the College.

• Education records may be released to officials of another school, school system, or institution of postsecondary education where the Students seek or intend to enroll or are already enrolled, so long as the disclosure is for purposes related to the Student’s enrollment or transfer.

• Education records may be released to agencies or organizations in connection with a Student's application for, or receipt of, financial aid, provided that information permitting the personal identification of those Students may be disclosed only as may be necessary for those purposes as to financial aid, to determine the amount of the financial aid, or conditions that will be imposed regarding financial aid, or to enforce the terms or conditions of financial aid.

• Education records may be released to organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, accrediting organizations, educational agencies, or institutions to develop, validate, or administrate predictive tests, administer financial aid programs, and improve instruction if those studies are conducted in such a manner as will not permit the personal identification of Students or their parents by persons other than representatives of those organizations and the information will be destroyed when no longer needed for the purpose for which it is conducted.

• Educational records may be released to the parents of a Student who is claimed as a dependent for income tax purposes.

• Educational records may be released to the parents of Students under the age of 21 concerning a Student’s violation of any law, or regarding the possession of alcohol or controlled substances.

• Education records shall be released under a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena.

• Education records shall be released under a federal judicial order issued regarding an investigation or prosecution of an offense concerning an investigation or prosecution of terrorism.

• Education records may be released to authorized representatives of the Comptroller General of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States, the Secretary of Education, or State and local educational authorities where that information is necessary to audit or evaluate a state or federally supported educational program or under federal or state law. Exceptions are that when the collection of personally identifiable information is expressly authorized by federal law, any data collected by those officials shall be protected in a manner that will not permit the personal identification of Students or their parents by other than those officials and any personally identifiable data shall be destroyed when no longer needed for that audit, evaluation, and enforcement of federal legal requirements.

• Education records may be released to appropriate persons in an emergency if the knowledge of that information is necessary to protect the health or safety of a Student or other persons, subject to applicable federal or state law.

• Educational records may be released to a victim of an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence.

• Educational records may be released to appropriate parties in connection with disciplinary proceedings at an institution of higher education.