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The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) was created to protect students from inappropriate use of their educational records. This act was also designated to protect the privacy of education records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their education records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings.
Copies of Colorado Mountain College policy relating to FERPA, as amended, are available in the registration office of each campus. Students also have the right to file complaints with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office concerning alleged failures by the institution to comply with the Act.
If you have questions concerning FERPA, contact the Colorado Mountain College Registrar Office at registrar@coloradomtn.edu.
The release of confidential information requires student authorization. Confidential information does not include directory information. The College has specified the following items as directory information:
- Student name
- dates of attendance
- enrollment status
- degrees and awards received
- activity and sports participation
- major
The College may disclose any of these items without prior written consent, unless notified in writing to the contrary. Currently enrolled students may withhold disclosure of directory information by notifying the Registrar, in writing, that they do not want the directory information released. Colorado Mountain College will honor this request. All information will be held confidential. This notification is effective until rescinded, in writing, by the student. Colorado Mountain College assumes that unless a student specifically requests that directory information is to be withheld, the student approves this information for disclosure.
Notification must be provided to the Registration Office, by submitting the Request to Withhold Directory Information.
Each CMC location makes available a Consent to Release Confidential Information form that students may sign to allow parents/guardians, high school administrators/officials, coaches, and/or other individuals to access to their records. This authorization is effective until cancelled, in writing, by the student.
Student records help staff and faculty to plan educational opportunities to meet individual student needs, and to better understand students. They allow faculty and staff to advise students more effectively for academic success during the school year, and for finding gainful and fulfilling employment after graduation. Student records may be released to faculty and professional staff for authorized educational purposes.
Your academic records can be released to a third party only with written consent by you or under specific guidelines in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Colorado Mountain College will not provide names and addresses to outside agencies for commercial use.
Federal Law requires the College to release, upon request, specific items of information from the student’s educational records to the military services.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) give students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:
- The right to inspect and review the student’s educational records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. Students must submit to the Records Custodian a written request that identifies the records they wish to inspect. The Records Custodian 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 Records Custodian 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 student educational records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. They must write the College Records Custodian responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it 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 its decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing. This section does not apply to the assignment of grades.
- The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate education interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The online complaint procedure and form can be found at studentprivacy.ed.gov. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-8520.
For additional information, please refer to the Privacy of Student Records section of the Your Right to Know page of the CMC website.
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