Student Records
Western Piedmont Community College maintains accurate and confidential student records and recognizes the rights of students to have access to their educational and personal records in accordance with existing College policy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment) (http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html) and its revisions.
“Educational Records” include files, documents, and other materials which contain information directly related to students. The term “educational records” does not include the following:
- Records and documents of institutional personnel which are kept apart from educational records.
- Records on the student which are made or maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, or other recognized professionals or paraprofessionals acting in their official capacity.
- Financial records on the parents of students.
- Records of instructional, supervisory and administrative personnel kept in their sole possession provided they are “not accessible or revealed to any other person except a substitute.”
Release of Student Educational Records
The following “Directory Information” may be made available to the public by the College without students’ written permission unless students notify the Director of Records and Registration’s Office in writing by the third week of the semester that such information concerning themselves is not to be made available.
- Student’s name, address, telephone listing, email address, birth date and place of birth.
- Major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams.
- Dates of attendance, grade level, enrollment status (e.g., undergraduate or graduate, full or part-time), degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended.
Faculty and administrative officers of the College who demonstrate a legitimate educational need will be permitted to look at the official student file for a particular student. Requests for confidential information shall not be honored without proper written consent for the release of such records by students. The written consent must specify the records or the specific data to be released and to whom it is to be released, and each request must be handled separately. Exceptions to this policy are the following:
- Requests for confidential information will be honored without prior consent of the student in connection with an emergency.
- Official requests in connection with the audit and evaluation of federal or state supported programs or in connection with enforcement of federal or legal requirements which relate to such programs.
- A lawfully issued subpoena or court order instructing the College not to disclose the existence or contents of the subpoena or the College’s response.
- All other subpoenas. (Students will be notified immediately by registered mail that their records have been subpoenaed.)
- An Ex Parte Order from the Attorney General of the United States in connection with the investigation or prosecution of terrorism crimes as specified in the U.S. Code.
- Non-directory information required by the Immigration and Naturalization Service about International Students.
- Persons or organizations providing financial aid to the student or determining financial aid decisions.
Control of Student Records
Transcripts and other information are released only with the written permission of the student. Students have the right to inspect their own records. Upon inspection students are entitled to an explanation of any information contained in their records. Students have the right to copies of academic records of credits earned at Western Piedmont Community College. Copies of transcripts and/or other information from institutions other than WPCC must be requested from the originating institution.
An official student file shall not be sent outside the Counseling Office, Records Office, Financial Aid Office, Veterans Affairs Office, Advisor’s Office or other custodial offices except in circumstances specifically authorized by the Dean of Student Services. The authorization for such special circumstances must be in writing. College officials responsible for the maintenance of education records include the Director of Enrollment Management, Director of Records and Registration, and Dean of Student Services.
A student who believes that information contained in records is inaccurate or misleading may request that the record(s) be amended. The procedure for challenging any contested information is described in the College Policy Manual which is available in the Library and the Dean of Student Services' Office.
Records Retention
Decisions about retention and disposition of all public records at Western Piedmont Community College will follow the Records Retention & Disposition Schedule as published by the Division of Archives and Records of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Community College System.