5200 Student Records

Initial Date of Approval: 4/22/09

Revision Date(s):  12/17/24
Administrative Responsibility: Vice President of Student Services

PURPOSE

To comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and federal and state rules and regulations regarding the retention and release of student records.

REFERENCES

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g)
• Washington State Records Retention Schedule for Community and Technical Colleges
• Washington Administration Code (WAC) Chapter 132D-125 Student Education Records

POLICY

Skagit Valley College (SVC) complies with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Except as permitted or required by law, the college does not release student information or records without the student’s written consent.

SVC maintains all student records in accordance with the requirements set forth in the Washington State Records Retention Schedule for community and technical colleges. The college routinely destroys student records that exceed the retention requirements.

Unless restricted by the student the college may release the following directory information.

• Student name;
• Major field of study;
• Enrollment status;
• Dates of attendance;
• Participation in recognized sports;
• Degree or certificate earned;
• Term degree or certificate awarded;

PROCEDURES

The following procedures provide guidance for accessing or amending student records. In some cases, students will be advised to contact the registrar. The registrar’s email address may be obtained at Enrollment Services or by emailing enrollment@skagit.edu.

Unofficial Transcript Requests

• Students who attended SVC prior to fall quarter 2015 may email enrollment@skagit.edu or drop by Enrollment Services at any SVC campus to request a copy of their unofficial transcript.
• Students who attended SVC at any time after fall quarter 2015 may access their unofficial transcript using ctcLink student self-service.

Official Transcript Requests

Students may request official digital or paper transcripts through the SVC Parchment Learner Account. For more information, please see the Obtaining Transcripts webpage.

Requests to Inspect Records

Students who would like to inspect their education records should email a request to the registrar identifying the specific record(s). The registrar will arrange for access and notify the student of the time and place where the record(s) may be inspected. If the registrar does not maintain the record the student wishes to inspect, they will advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

Requests to Amend Records

Students who would like to request an amendment to their record should email a request to the registrar identifying the part of the record to change and specifying why it is inaccurate or misleading. If SVC decides not to amend the record as requested, the student will be notified of the decision in writing and advised of their right to a hearing to consider the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedure will be provided at that time.

Information Release

Students who would like to release FERPA-protected information to a third party must submit an Information Release Form with the third party named and the information to be released specified. A non-SVC information release form may be used if it includes the required information. Third parties include parents and guardians of underage students.

FERPA Block of Directory Information

Students may request that their directory information be withheld from disclosure by updating their privacy settings in ctcLink or contacting the registrar.

DEFINITIONS

Directory Information: A term defined by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) as “Information contained in an education record of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed.”