Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

Parent and Guardian Rights

Under FERPA once a student reaches the age of 18 OR attends a school beyond the secondary level, they become an eligible student and all the rights formerly given to parents and guardians are transferred to the student. This means any student attending Edmonds Community College, even those who have not reached their 18th birthday, have a right to non-disclosure of their records.

There is an exception for the parents and guardians of dependent students. The following conditions must be met:

• The parent must provide documentation that their student is a dependent as defined by Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code. This means the parent must provide documentation (usually a tax return from the prior year) that the student receives more than one half of their support from the parent asking for the information. In the case of divorce, only one parent will be given access to a dependent student's information.
• The parent must complete the Parental Request for Academic Information form available in the Enrollment Services Office.
• The parent must provide picture identification

All requests from parents for information about academic records, or academic progress must be processed through the Enrollment Services Office. Once a determination has been made, a copy of the form indicating approval and the scope of information to be released will be forwarded to the appropriate department, employee or faculty.

If the student is not a dependent no information can be released to the parent or guardian without the written consent of the student. Students should complete the Student Consent for Release of Records form available in the Enrollment Services Office.

Remember: A parent may be given permission to access student records, but this does not mean that the parent may act on the student's behalf except in emergency situations. For example, a parent may be given access to a student's class schedule, but does not have the right to withdraw a student from those classes.