Academic Records

Download as PDF

Confidential Treatment of Student Academic Records

The privacy and confidentiality of all official student records shall be preserved at OCtech in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. Each student has the right to inspect and challenge the accuracy of his/her records.

Student Review of Academic Records

Students may inspect and review their educational records upon written request to the Vice President of Student Services at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. The request should identify, as precisely as possible, the record(s) he/she desires to inspect. The Vice President for Student Services will notify the Registrar who will make the necessary arrangements for access as promptly as possible. The student must be given access to inspect and review educational records within 45 days of the day the College received the request for access. The Vice President for Student Services will notify the student of the time and location where the records may be inspected.

OCtech reserves the right to refuse student inspection and review of the following records:

  1. The financial statement of the student’s parent(s).
  2. Confidential letters and recommendations placed in the files prior to January 1, 1975, or letters and statements of recommendations placed after January 1, 1975, in which the student has waived his or her right to inspect and review statements that are related to the student’s admission, application for employment, job placement, or receipt of honors.
  3. Educational records that contain information about more than one student; however, the College will permit access to the portion of the record which only pertains to the inquiring student.
  4. Disciplinary records.

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, a student who wishes to inspect their educational records and finds a discrepancy, may challenge the contents of their educational records. However, while the FERPA amendment procedure may be used to challenge facts that are inaccurately recorded, it may not be used to challenge a grade, an opinion, or a substantive decision made by a school about an eligible student.

FERPA provides students with the right to challenge the contents of their education records, to have a hearing if the outcome of the challenge is unsatisfactory, and to submit explanatory statements for inclusion in their files if the decisions of the hearing panels are unacceptable.

Students may challenge the contents of their education records that they consider inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of their privacy or other rights.

  • The student must submit a written challenge to the College Registrar. The Registrar will review and determine within 5-7 working days whether to take corrective action consistent
  • with the student's request.
  • The Registrar will notify the student in writing within 2 working days of the decision(s).
  • f the decision reached is in accordance with the student's request, the Registrar will correct, amend, or delete the appropriate records.
  • When a student disagrees with the Registrar’s decision, the student has the right to appeal to the Vice President for Student Services, whose decision is final. Student appeals must be submitted to the Vice President for Student Services within 2 weeks of notification of the Registrar’s decision.
  • The Vice President for Student Services will review, determine and notify the student of the final decision within 10 working days of receipt of the appeal.
  • When the final decision is unsatisfactory to the student, the student has the opportunity to place a statement about the information in the education record.
  • The Registrar's office is responsible for maintaining the statement as part of the student's education record for as long as OCtech retains the student’s records.

OCtech retains the right to deny a student a copy of his/her academic records in the following instances:

  1. The student has an unpaid financial obligation to the College.
  2. There is an unresolved disciplinary action against the student.

Disclosure of Student Academic Records

OCtech will disclose information from a student’s academic record only with the written consent of the student. Exceptions to disclosure without student consent include the following:

  1. To College officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the records. College officials include any person employed in an administrative, supervisory, support staff or faculty position; an Area Commission member; a person employed under contract to Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College to perform a special task such as an auditor or attorney. A College official has a legitimate educational interest if the official is: performing a task that is specified in his or her position description or contract agreement, performing a task related to a student’s education, performing a task related to the discipline of a student, or providing a service or benefit relating to the student or student’s family, such as health care, counseling, job placement or financial.
  2. To agents acting on behalf of the institution (e.g., clearinghouses, degree/enrollment verifiers).
  3. To certain officials of the U. S. Department of Education, the Comptroller General and state and local education authorities in connection with various state or federally supported education programs.
  4. In connection with a student’s request for financial aid as necessary to determine eligibility, amount, or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid.
  5. To organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College.
  6. To accrediting organizations to carry out their functions.
  7. To the parents of an eligible student who claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
  8. To comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena.
  9. To appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency.
  10.  Directory information such as name, address, telephone number and enrollment status.
  11. The results of any disciplinary proceeding conducted by Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College against an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence to the alleged victim of that crime.
  12. To anyone if a health or safety emergency exists and the information will assist in resolving the emergency.
  13. To an alleged victim of a crime of violence of the results of a disciplinary hearing regarding the alleged perpetrator of that crime with respect to that crime.
  14. To anyone requesting the final results of a disciplinary hearing against an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence or non-forcible sex offense (Foley Amendment).
  15. To the Immigration and Naturalization Service for purposes of the Coordinated Interagency Partnership Regulating International Students.
  16. To military recruiters who request “Student Recruiting Information” for recruiting purposes only (Solomon Amendment). Recruiting information includes name, address, telephone listing, age or year of birth, level of education and major.
  17. The Internal Revenue Service for the purposes of complying with the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997.
  18. To authorized representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs for students receiving educational assistance from the agency.