Confidentiality and FERPA

Confidentiality & Release of Information

FERPA

Enrollment Services - Records maintains all official academic records of enrolled students including transcripts, registration forms, and transfer credit and degree evaluations. COCC follows the Federal Health Education and Welfare Guidelines for the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 - Pell-Buckley Amendment (FERPA) which gives students attending post-secondary institutions the right to inspect their educational records and gives college's permission to allow some student information to be shared with the general public.

COCC considers the following information to be public information and will release it upon request, on an individual basis; no information will be released "en masse" to solicitors: dates of attendance, major field of study, degrees and awards received, address, telephone number, email, participation in officially recognized sports and activities, and most recent previous school attendance.

Confidentiality Requests

If students do not want the above information to be released by the College, the STUDENT must complete "Confidentiality Request" form and submit it in person, with picture ID, to Enrollment Services (Boyle Education Center). Note that by completing this form, students may not conduct enrollment-related business over the phone, but must do so in person (with picture ID) and/or over the secure online student system.

Release of Information Requests

If students wish to have any information about grades, financial aid documents and information, class schedule or other private information released to someone other than the student, the STUDENT must complete a Release of Information form using their COCC account credentials to log-in and complete the form electronically. If a student wishes to submit the form in-person or fax, with picture ID, please visit an Enrollment Services office at any COCC campus or email welcome@cocc.edu to request the hard-copy form.

Information Consent/Special Social Security Number Use

The College adheres to the following policy statement of the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development: "Providing your social security number is voluntary. If you provide it, the College will use your social security number for reporting, record keeping, research, extending credit and processing debt. Your social security number will not be given to the general public. If you choose not to provide your social security number, you will not be denied any rights as a student.

See the College Catalog and Class Search for complete details of FERPA, SSN and related policies.

FERPA for Faculty

Central Oregon Community College, in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), is responsible for maintaining educational records and monitoring the release of information of those records. Staff and faculty with access to student educational records are legally responsible for protecting the privacy of the student by using information only when necessary to instruct, advise, or otherwise assist students.

DIRECTORY INFORMATION

Only those records defined as 'directory information' may be released without the written permission of the student. COCC considers the following to be directory information: the student name, address and telephone number, email address, dates of attendance, major field of study, degrees and awards received, participation in officially recognized activities and sports and most recent previous school attendance. See below for a quick checklist of this information. No other information contained in a student's educational records may be released to persons or organizations without the student's prior written approval.

STUDENTS WITH RESTRICTED INFORMATION

A student may restrict release of all directory information by filing a Request for Non-Disclosure of Student Information form with the Admissions and Records Office. Once the student has filed this form, no information about this student will be released to anyone, including someone who claims to be the student, parents, relatives, friends, other students, prospective employers. The restriction stays on the student's account until the student requests, in writing, that it be removed. The restriction remains in place even after the student has stopped attending or has graduated from the College.

STAFF RESPONSIBILITY

When you receive an inquiry about a student, all staff should refer the request to the Admissions and Records Office. Note: You are responsible for maintaining both the security of your workstation or computer terminal. Do not leave your workstation or terminal unattended while logged into Banner and do not give your password to other employees or students.

POSTING OF GRADES

Under FERPA, posting grades or test scores on bulletin boards or an office door is permitted ONLY IF the information is affiliated with a particular student via some sort of "secret code". Social security numbers, telephone numbers and date of birth are NOT acceptable codes, as they can easily identify a student. While we discourage posting of grades or other student-related information in any way, if you choose to do so, you must do so with a code that cannot readily identify one student to another.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Occasionally, you may be asked, or volunteer, to write a letter of recommendation for a student. This usually won't require the student's written permission. However, if the letter covers information protected by FERPA (see checklist), it is wise to get the student's consent to release the information in writing.

Questions? Please contact Tyler Hayes, Director of Admissions & Records or the Admissions & Records office at 383-7500.