Access to Student Records
The Admissions and Records Office is a single office at Pensacola State College and is located on the Pensacola Campus. All permanent, official, and final records of students are housed in and released by this office. Student records are maintained in a fire protected vault and in electronic computer files. Information is released only upon the written request of the student in accordance with federal laws. Additional details on student records, the procedures for accessing records, appealing record contents, and receiving restricted records, and other rights of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) are available from the College Registrar.
Parents’ Rights to Student Information
When a dependent student enters a post-secondary institution, the privacy/confidentiality rights transfer from the parent to the student. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) permits the release of information, other than Directory Information, to parents and legal guardians of dependent students. Pensacola State College will release information to an eligible parent or legal guardian in accordance with the specifications in FERPA and under the following circumstances:
The student is a dependent according to the Federal Internal Revenue Code.
The parent or legal guardian signs an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, indicating his or her status as the parent or legal guardian of a student who is eligible to be claimed as a dependent for IRS purposes. The affidavit may be obtained in any registration office and must be notarized.
The notarized statement described above will be filed in the student’s permanent record, a copy will be provided to the parent, and the affidavit will remain effective for the tax year in which it was submitted.
In situations where the parent or legal guardian is asking for specific information known only by the instructor of a class in which the student is enrolled, the parent or legal guardian will complete the affidavit and will be provided a copy of the affidavit to present to the instructor for a scheduled conference. FERPA prohibits discussion by telephone or through email with anyone other than the student.
Pensacola State College may request documentation to substantiate the claim to eligibility for the confidential student information.