Notification of Your Rights Under the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)

Olympic College follows the requirements of The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which is a federal law that protects the privacy of your student information and education records. Except as permitted or required by law, the college does not release your information or education records without your written consent.

Directory and Solomon Amendment Information

The college will release Directory Information in certain circumstances. Directory Information is generally considered not harmful or an invasion of privacy if released. This allows the college to include student information in college publications, such as graduation programs and sports activity lists without having to obtain written permission from every student involved. However, we also release Directory Information in response to a request made under the Washington Public Records Act by any person, except those that wish to use the information for commercial purposes.

Olympic College identifies the following records as Directory Information:

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

In addition to Directory information and in accordance with the Solomon Amendment the college must release the following information for students who are at least age 17 or older to military recruiters when requested:

  • Directory Information listed above
  • Address and Telephone number

Your Rights as a Student

As a student, FERPA gives you certain rights over your information and education records. These rights include:

  • The right to withhold your Directory and Solomon Amendment Information.
    • Student can opt out of releasing Directory Information from the Student Homepage in ctcLink.
  • The right to inspect and review your education records within 45 days after the College receives a request from you.
  • The right to request a correction to your education record if you believe that the record contains inaccurate, misleading, or information you believe is a violation of your privacy rights under FERPA.
  • The right to provide written consent before the college discloses information from your education record, except as permitted or required by FERPA.
  • The college does disclose information without your consent to college officials who need to review an education record as part of their job responsibilities to the college. School officials include:
  • Any person employed by the college
  • A person serving on the Board of Trustees
  • A student serving on an official committee
  • A volunteer or contractor outside of the school who performs a service or function for which the college would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school. This may include an attorney, auditor, collection agent, or a student volunteer assisting college officials in the performance of their jobs.
  • The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education if you believe the college failed to comply with the requirements of FERPA. 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

Opt out of Directory Information

Students may opt out of the release of Directory Information from the ctcLink Student Homepage.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Test Your Knowledge

Take the FERPA tutorial - an interactive quiz that will reinforce your knowledge of student confidentiality.

FERPA Tutorial

More Info