General Policy

Coastal Alabama Community College shall not permit access to or the release of education records or personally identifiable information contained therein, other than directory information as defined within the paragraph titled Directory Information, without the written consent of the student, to any party other than the following:

  1. Other school officials and teachers of the College who have been determined by the College to have legitimate educational interests;
  2. Officials of those schools or school systems in which the student seeks or intends to enroll, upon the condition that the student may receive a copy of the record if desired, and have an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of the record;
  3. Certain authorized representatives of federal departments or agencies or state educational authorities for purposes of audits, evaluative studies, etc. Data collected will be protected in a way which prevents personal identification except when specifically authorized by federal law. The data will be destroyed when no longer needed for such purposes;
  4. In connection with a student’s application for, or receipt of, financial aid;
  5. State and local officials or authorities to which such information is specifically required to be reported or disclosed pursuant to State statute adopted prior to November 19, 1974;
  6. Organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, educational agencies or institutions for the purpose of developing, validating, or administering predictive tests, administering student aid programs and improving instruction, if such studies are conducted in such a manner as will not permit the personal identification of students by persons other than representatives of such organizations and such information will be destroyed when no longer needed for the purpose for which it is conducted;
  7. Accrediting organizations in order to carry out their accrediting functions;
  8. Parents of a student who is a dependent for income tax purposes;
  9. Pursuant to a lawful subpoena or court order;
  10. Other appropriate persons in an emergency to protect the health or safety of the student or others. Students shall have access to all such information in accordance with the procedure outlined in this statement with the exceptions specified within the following paragraph.