FERPA Guide

Most of your records are available to you through your MyOCC account, including your final grades and transcripts. If you wish to review records that are not in your MyOCC account, contact the department that has the record in writing. The department will respond to your request within 45 days. 

The college may release your directory information without your consent unless you choose to opt out. If you do not want your directory information shared, you may request to opt out at the start of any semester by emailing the Office of Registration & Records at registrar@sunyocc.edu at least 10 days prior to the start of the semester. Your email should be sent from your OCC student email and include:

• Your full name
• Your OCC student ID number
• The semester you want the request to take effect

Please note that some printed materials may include student directory information. Your information may be included if the materials have already been printed at the time we receive your request.

Your request will remain in effect until you decide to revoke it. To revoke your request, send another email to registrar@sunyocc.edu.

You may grant access to your education records to other people you trust, such as your parents or guardians. Manage who has access to your records through MyOCC.

New Connection

1. Use your OCC credentials to log into the Onondaga Family Experience. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Are you a student? Log in here.”
2. Click “Add My First Connection” or “Add Connection,” if this is not your first.
3. Enter the person’s email address and their relationship to you, then click “Continue.”
4. Select the records you would like to share, then click “Continue,” then “Grant Access.” If your request was successful, you’ll see a green banner at the top of the page.
5. The person will receive an email detailing your connection request. You will receive a notification once they confirm your request.

Approving a Connection Request

If anyone requests access to your records, you will receive an email notification. Access will not be granted until you approve the request.

1. Within the email notification, click the “Click here to approve the request” button. You will be taken to the Onondaga Family Experience page to log in.
2. Login using your OCC credentials.
3. Select the connection request you would like to review.
4. You will see which records the person has requested access to. You can select and de-select options as needed.
5. Click “Grant Access.” If successful, you will see a green banner at the top of the page.

You can update or revoke the records your connections have access to at any time by logging into the Onondaga Family Experience and following steps 3-5 above. 

You may request access to your student’s records through the Onondaga Family Experience. The student will need to approve your request before the data becomes available.

1. Login or create an account by going to https://sunyocc.campusesp.com/users/sign_in.
2. Click on the graduation cap icon at the top of the screen, then “Go to my connections.”
3. Select “Add my First Connection.” If you already have connections, click the button to add another connection.
4. Fill out the form.
   • Creating a PIN: If you call OCC to inquire about your student’s records, we will use the PIN to verify your identity. If you do not know your PIN, you can reset it by logging into your account.
   • Records Available to Request: Select all the records you wish to see for your student. The student will ultimately decide which records you have access to see when they review your request.
5. Click “Connect to your Student.”

Troubleshooting

You may experience issues connecting to your student if:

• The student is not registered for classes at OCC – try again after they have registered for at least one class.
• The student email address you entered is not correct – make sure the email address is in the format username@clasnet.sunyocc.edu.

If you experience these issues, cancel and initiate a new request. To cancel the current request, go to your connections, select the connection you’d like to cancel, scroll to the bottom and click “Cancel this connection.”

Within the Onondaga Family Experience

The day after your student has approved your connection request, you will be able to view the information you have access to by logging into your Onondaga Family Experience account and clicking the graduation cap at the top of the screen.  

If there are any tiles you don’t have access to or tiles you no longer need access to, you may update your connection with the student:

• Click “Go to my connections.”
• Select the student connection you wish to edit.
• Select or deselect checkboxes in the “Records Available to Request” section.

You may also use this screen to reset your PIN or cancel your connection with a student entirely. If you are requesting additional access, the student will need to approve your request.

Contact OCC

Once your connection request has been established, you can speak with school officials about your student’s record. The school official will verify your identity by asking for your PIN number or the email address you used to create your Onondaga Family Experience account. The school official will only be able to talk with you about the records the student approved for you.

Troubleshooting

If you do not see the data you expect to see within the Onondaga Family Experience, it’s important to note that:

• Data updates nightly. You will not have access to information until the day after the student approves your request and information will not be updated immediately.
• The student may deny your requests to all or some of their records.  

College personnel should take appropriate steps to protect student information and prevent unauthorized disclosures. Best practices include:

• Shred documents containing personally identifiable information (PII) on students.
• Dispose of records according to the Records Retention Policy.
• Do not use Social Security numbers in postings or communications.
• Send emails securely when they contain student PII in the message or attachments.
  • To send a secure email, add “SECURE” to the subject line.
• Sharing only the minimum information necessary to complete a task. For example, someone conducting outreach to waitlisted students may need names and phone numbers, but not GPAs. 

When you disclose a student’s education record, make sure the disclosure is documented. Students have the right to review this disclosure log upon request.

What must be recorded:

• Who requested the information
• Who received the information (including any re-recipients, if applicable)
• The legitimate educational interest or legal basis for the disclosure

You do not need to record the disclosure when sharing:

• Directly with the student
• With a college official with a legitimate educational interest
• With a party who has the student’s written consent
• Directory information (unless the student has opted out)
• In response to certain law enforcement subpoenas that prohibit disclosure of their existence 

When sharing student information, you must inform the recipient that the information is protected by FERPA and cannot be shared further without the student’s written consent.

This notice is not required when sharing:

• Directly with the student
• With a college official with a legitimate educational interest
• Directory information (unless the student has opted out)
• In response to a court order or subpoena
• Information related to certain student disciplinary proceedings permitted by FERPA
• With parties otherwise authorized under FERPA without consent
• Information required under federal law regarding registered sex offenders 

If you receive questions about a student’s record from someone other than the student, you must check if the student has allowed the person access to their information.

1. Use your OCC credentials to log into the Onondaga Family Experience admin site. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Are you a student? Log in here.”
2. In the “Student Search” box, enter the student’s first name or last name, 7-digit ID number, or email address.  
   • NOTE: No results appear if you enter the students first and last name or last name, first name.  
3. Expand the FERPA connection for the person you’re speaking to.  
4. Verify the person’s identity by asking for their 4-digit PIN. If they provide an inaccurate PIN and do not know the correct PIN, a red message will appear with a link to send the person a PIN reset email.
5. You can also verify their identity by asking for the email address they used to set up their account, but the PIN is more secure.
6. Once you have verified the person’s identity, you’ll be able to see which records the person has permission to see.
7. Make sure you do not give any information the person does not have permission to know. If they feel they should have permission, encourage them to speak to their student to update their access.