Chattahoochee Tech’s Annual FERPA notification to students.

FERPA and Directory Information

FERPA Permissions

Students that wish to grant permissions to their student records, including current and past grades, can submit a FERPA Request Form through their me@ChattTech Student Portal account. 

Accessing the FERPA Request Form:

1. Log into your me@ChattTech Student Portal
2. Find the Current Student Forms card
3. Click on FERPA Request Form

This is the only way to access the form. Parents, guardians and others are not able to request a FERPA Request form on your behalf.

FERPA Removal of Consent

All permissions given to student records will expire after 2 years. If you would like to remove that consent before it expires, students can submit the FERPA Removal of Consent Request form.

Directory Information

Federal law provides for the release of student directory* information under certain circumstances unless a student files a written objection.

*Directory Information: FERPA permits institutions to identify certain items of information as directory information. The Technical College System of Georgia and its technical colleges define “directory information” as follows:

• Full name of student
• City of Residence
• County of Residence
• Major and field(s) of study
• Enrollment Status (full time, part-time, etc.)
• Degrees and awards and date received
• Dates of attendance

If you wish to file such an objection, please complete the Objection to Release Student Information form

Information About Viewing Student Records

The Director of Records is responsible for the accurate and confidential maintenance of student records. Transcripts of educational records will contain only academic status information. Disciplinary action may be recorded in cases where it affects the student’s eligibility to register. Disciplinary and counseling files will be maintained separately from academic records and will not be available to unauthorized persons.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended, affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are:

The right to inspect and review the student’s records within 45 days of the day the school receives a request for access. Students should submit written requests to the Director of Records that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Director of Records will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the school to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the Director of Records, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend a record as requested by the student, the school will notify the student of his or her 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.

The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in 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 school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the school in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the school has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Directors or Trustees; 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. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the school discloses education records to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Chattahoochee Technical College to comply with 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, S.W.
Washington, DC 20202-4605

Solomon Amendment

The Solomon Amendment is a federal law that allows military recruiters to access some address, biographical, and academic program information about students age 17 and older. The Department of Education has determined that the Solomon Amendment supersedes most elements of FERPA. An institution is therefore obligated to release data included in the list of “student recruiting information” which may or may not match Chatt Tech’s FERPA directory information list. However, if the student has submitted a request to the College Records Office to restrict the release of his/her Directory Information, then no information from the student’s education record will be released under the Solomon Amendment.