The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives students certain rights with respect to their education records.
These rights include:
- The right to be informed about their student education records.
- The right to inspect their education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for California law requires that records be provided within 15 working days.
A student should submit to the Dean of Enrollment Services or other appropriate records custodian a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The College official 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 College official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
- The right to request the amendment of their education records.
A student who wishes to ask the College to amend a record should write 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.
- The right to have a formal hearing if the request for amendment is denied.
A student whose request to amend the record is denied will be notified in writing with details concerning an appeal hearing.
- The right to prevent unauthorized disclosure of any or all of the information in their education records, subject to specific exceptions identified in FERPA and State law.
Student records may not be disclosed without the written consent of the student. The following exceptions apply:
The College discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school 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 Board of Trustees; 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.
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 responsibilities for College.
Upon request, the College also discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
FERPA requires that the College, with certain exceptions, obtain a student’s written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the 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 in accordance with College procedures. Disclosure of Directory Information is limited to College officers and employees for official College communications, programs, and publicity.
SMC has designated the following items as ‘Directory Information’:
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- Student name;
- Dates of attendance;
- Degrees, certificates, and academic awards received (e.g., Dean’s List). This does not include scholarships.
Students may block release of directory information to non-SMC third parties by placing a “Directory Information” hold on their Corsair Connect account (“View/Edit Profile” tab).
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education about a violation of FERPA regarding their education record. 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
- The right to waive these rights in writing, including the right to give written authorization to a third party to obtain a copy of the student’s education records.
For a full explanation of FERPA and its implications for college students, please contact the Admissions Office.