Overview of FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law protecting the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, go to the FERPA website.

FERPA gives parents certain rights concerning their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when they reach the age of 18 or attend a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students."

• Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student's education records maintained by the school.
• Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records they believe to be inaccurate or misleading.
• Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student to release any information from a student's education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions:
  • School officials with legitimate educational interests,
  • Other schools to which a student is transferring,
  • Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes,
  • Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student,
  • Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school,
  • Accrediting organizations,
  • To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena,
  • Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies,
  • State and local authorities within a juvenile justice system, under specific state law

Schools may disclose, without consent, "directory" information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. See PSC's annual FERPA statement.

Release of Financial Aid, Veteran, and Student Record Information

The disclosure of student information is governed by the policies of the PSC Board of Trustees and the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), with the parameters established by state and federal laws, including FERPA.  

• If you would like your parent/guardian to have access to your school records, you must fill out the Student FERPA Release Form. You only need to fill this out once during your time at PSC.
• To access your school records, your parent/guardian can complete a Parent/Guardian FERPA Release Form if they claim you as a dependent on their taxes and provide appropriate documentation. Your parent/guardian is required to fill this out only once during your time at PSC. 
• Written student consent is required to disclose any information that is part of the student's financial aid or veteran record. To release this information to any person or organization, you must complete and sign the Release of Financial Aid or Veteran Information Authorization Form. This form is only valid for the academic year in which the release is requested. The PSC Financial Aid/Veteran Services office will mail the requested information to the named individual or agency within 5-7 working days of receipt during non-registration periods.
• For more resources on financial aid and veteran services at PSC, go to the Financial Aid Resources website or call 850-484-1680.