For more Information please contact the PCC Registrar's Office at 719-549-3016.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), commonly known as the Buckley Amendment, affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. FERPA rights are afforded to the students at the time of course registration. The Act helps protect the privacy of your records by requiring that PCC limits the disclosure of information from these records to third persons, as well as notify you of the right to review and correct your records.
Pueblo Community College (PCC) may release the following directory information about you to the public:
- Student name
- Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- Height and weight (only for students in officially recognized activities and sports)
- Major field of study
- Most recent educational institution attended
- Dates of attendance
- Degrees and awards received
- Enrollment status (full time, part time, etc.)
If you do not wish PCC to release this information, you must file a written request with the Records Office.
Notification of Rights Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. FERPA rights are afforded to the students at the time of admission. These rights include:
1) The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day PCC receives a request for access. A student should submit to the Records Office a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the Registrar, staff shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2) The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights. A student who wishes to ask PCC to amend a record should write the Registrar (who will notify the college official responsible for the record), clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested, the College will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3) The right to provide written consent before PCC discloses personally identifiable information from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to College officials with legitimate educational interests. A College official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using college employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the College Board; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. PCC has designated the National Student Clearinghouse as a College official. A College official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the College. Upon request, the College discloses education records, without a student's consent, to officials of another school, in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or after enrollment. The college may share educational records to parents in the following circumstances: for a student who is dependent under I.R.S. tax code; a student under 21 years old who has violated a law or the schools rules or policies governing alcohol or substance abuse; and when the information is needed to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals in an emergency.
FERPA Annual Notice to Reflect Possible Federal and State Data Collection and Use As of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which your education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records - including the Social security Number, grades, or other private information - may be accessed without your consent. First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities (Federal and State Authorities) may allow access to your records and PII without your consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal or stare-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is "principally engaged in the provision of education," such as early childhood education and job training, as well as nay program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to your education records and PII without your consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, in certain cases even when we object to or don not request such research. Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive your PII, but the Authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without your consent PII from your educational records, and they may track your participation in educational and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about your that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service, and migrant student records systems.
The Colorado Community College System considers the following to be directory information and PCC staff may disclose this information, without prior consent, to anyone inquiring in person, by phone, or in writing: Student name; Major field of study; most recent educational institution attended; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; height and weight (only for students in officially recognized activities and sports); dates of student attendance; and degrees / certificates and awards student has earned.
Additionally, address, phone number, and e-mail addresses of students may be released to military recruiters upon request in accordance with the Solomon Amendment. All other information contained in student records is considered private and not open to the public without the student’s written consent. Students who do not want their directory/public information released to third parties or students who do not want to be listed in the College Directory should complete a form to suppress directory information. This form is available online, at the Registrar’s Office or at the Fremont Campus or SCCC - East or West Campuses.
4) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College 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 20202-5901
In accordance with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) of 2003, Pueblo Community College adheres to the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Red Flag Rule (A Red Flag is any pattern, practice, or specific activity that indicates the possible existence of identity theft.), which implements Section 114 of the FACTA and to the Colorado Community College System’s Identity Theft Prevention and Detection Program, which is intended to prevent, detect and mitigate identity theft in connection with establishing new covered accounts or an existing covered account held by the Colorado Community College System (System or CCCS) or one of its thirteen (13) community colleges, and to provide for continued administration of the Program. If a transaction is deemed fraudulent, appropriate action will occur. Action may include, but is not limited to, cancelling of the transaction, notifying and cooperating with law enforcement, reporting to the Student Code of Conduct Office, and notifying the affected parties. For more information on FACTA, Red Flag Rules, and Identity Theft Consumer Information, please see the links provided below.
Limitation on Access
Educational institutions are not required to make available to students in institutions of post-secondary education the following records:
Financial records of the parents of the students or any information contained therein;
Records maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other recognized professionals are not open for student's inspection. Students may, however, have an appropriate professional of their choosing inspect such records;
Confidential recommendations for admission, employment, or honors are not open to student access if the student has waived his/her right to access. General waiver forms are available and on file at the Registrar's Office;
Law enforcement records maintained solely for law enforcement purposes are unavailable for student access and may be used only by law enforcement officials;
Records of instructional, supervisory, and administrative personnel and educational personnel ancillary thereto which are in the sole possession of the maker thereof and which are not accessible or revealed to any other person except a substitute (an individual who performs on a temporary basis the duties of the individual who made the record).
Physical Addresses are considered PII (Personally Identifiable Information )and are not released as Directory Information except they may be released for the following limited purposes:
- Graduation lists released to news media, which may include the student’s city of residence only;
- Other listings to the news media and College personnel for special awards, honors, and events;
- Notification to Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for students who are eligible to be considered for membership;
- As may be needed by cash management service providers engaged by CCCS or the Colleges to process student refunds;
- To Foundations affiliated with the Colleges or System, at the College’s or System’s discretion, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining alumni relations; or
- To institutions who have a written agreement with the System or a CCCS College for early advising, scholarship, or admissions consideration. Credit hour threshold for release may be stipulated in system-wide or individual College agreements.
Email Addresses are considered PII and are not released as Directory Information except they may be released for the following limited purposes:
- Notification to Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for students who are eligible to be considered for membership;
- As may be needed by cash management service providers engaged by CCCS or the Colleges to process student refunds;
- To Foundations affiliated with the Colleges or System, at the College’s or System’s discretion, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining alumni relations; or
- To institutions who have a written agreement with the System or a CCCS College for early advising, scholarship, or admissions consideration. Credit hour threshold for release may be stipulated in system-wide or individual College agreements.
Phone numbers (including type), Date of Birth, and Race/Ethnicity are considered PII and are not released except for the following limited purpose:
- To Foundations affiliated with the Colleges or System, at the College’s or System’s discretion, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining alumni relations;
- To institutions who have a written agreement with the System or a CCCS College for early advising, scholarship, or admissions consideration. Credit hour threshold for release may be stipulated in system-wide or individual College agreements.
GPA is considered PII and is not released as Directory Information except for the following limited purpose:
- To institutions who have a written agreement with the System or a CCCS College for early advising, scholarship, or admissions consideration. Credit hour threshold for release may be stipulated in system-wide or individual College agreements.
- Additionally, name, address, College-issued email address, phone number, date and place of birth, level of education, most recently attended College, field of study, and degree(s) received by students may be released to military recruiters upon request in accordance with the Solomon Amendment. All other information contained in student education records is considered private and not open to the public without the student’s written consent.
Neither CCCS, its Colleges, nor any entity designated as a College official, will release Directory Information to any financial institution requesting data for credit card marketing purposes, nor to any database service, data aggregator, or requestor who maintains a list for the sole purpose of selling data for profit and/or marketing purposes.