Annual FERPA Notification

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (PL93-380), commonly referred to as FERPA, provides that all records pertaining to a student that are maintained by the College must be open to inspection by the student and may not be made available to any other person without the written authorization of the student. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. A “student” is defined as a person who has registered and paid for one or more Undergraduate (UG) or Continuing Education (CE) courses and who remains enrolled through the official date of record for that term.

The act also allows the release of “directory information” - defined by each institution but limited to information that might have traditionally been published in a directory of students.

TCC directory information includes:

Name
Current address
Telephone number(s)
Program of study (major)
Dates of attendance
Full-time or part-time enrollment status
Degrees and awards received and dates granted
Previous educational institution(s) attended
Eligibility and participation in officially recognized activities

NOTE: Email addresses are not considered directory information at TCC.

At the time of application to TCC, students are informed of their right to withhold the release of directory information. Such requests are made to any campus Admissions and Registrar Office or the District Admissions and Records Office. Likewise, a student may request that TCC stop withholding release of directory information at any time. NOTE: employers often seek to verify enrollment or credentials earned; a student who opts to have release of directory information withheld may experience a delay in the release of such information, which can impact an offer of employment.

Without consent of the student, FERPA permits the release of student information to the following:

To officials at an institution in which the student seeks to enroll;
To comply with a court order or subpoena;
To other officials at TCC who have legitimate educational interest in specific student information, with only the minimum justified information being provided;
In connection with a health or safety emergency, if necessary, to protect the student and others;
To parents of a student who is a dependent for income tax purposes;
To parents of a student younger than 21 years of age if the disclosure concerns discipline for violation of the campus drug and alcohol policy;
In strict compliance with the requirements of FERPA or other applicable law.

Otherwise, non-directory information is never released to any outside party without the student’s official authorization. These non-directory items include but are not limited to:

Grade point average (GPA)
Academic standing
Grades or transcripts

TCC allows students to declare that certain individuals be able to act on their behalf in some respects. Students can complete a FERPA waiver by working with any campus Admissions and Registrar Office. These waivers are valid for a period of one year and can be renewed; the waiver can also be cancelled at any time.

Questions concerning FERPA may be directed to the campus Admissions and Registrar Office or the District Admissions and Records Office.

Updated January 20, 2023