Student Rights

Student Rights Under College Policy and Procedure

Students’ rights under college policy and procedure include: 

1. The right to educational programs that meet the learning outcomes of the class syllabus, to teaching consistent with those learning outcomes and to a learning environment that encourages the students’ engagement with their education.
2. The right to be informed by the faculty/instructor near the beginning of each semester/course regarding requirements, evaluation procedures and evaluation criteria to be used, and the right to expect that those criteria be employed. 
3. The right to take reasonable exception to the data and views offered in any course of study; the students are, however, responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled. 
4. The right to be evaluated based solely on relevant academic criteria. 
5. The right to request and receive timely assessment of their academic work by the faculty/instructor teaching the course. 
6. The right to request and receive a reasonable and timely review of their grades by the faculty/instructor teaching the course. 
7. The right to be informed of the correct procedures to apply for financial aid, attendance policy, types of aid available, how financial need is determined, criteria for awarding aid and how academic progress is determined and what has to be done to continue receiving financial aid. 
8. The right to information under the Federal Campus Security Act (Clery Act) regarding annual disclosure of campus crime statistics and other security information. 
9. The right to file a complaint. 
10. The right to information about retention and completion in each of the academic programs. This information is available at the College Navigator website maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics,www.nces.ed.gov. The availability of this information satisfies the federal disclosure requirement for this information. 
11. The right to the outcome of any disciplinary hearing against the student who is the alleged perpetrator of the crime or offense, providing the student is the alleged victim of a violent crime or a non-forcible sex offense. If the alleged victim is deceased as a result of the crime or offense, Palm Beach State will provide results of the disciplinary hearing to the victim’s next of kin, if so requested. 

Americans with Disabilities Act/Section 504

Students with disabilities enjoy the same rights and privileges as all other students as mandated by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Act of 1990 which prohibits educational institutions from discriminating against an individual based on disability. Individuals with disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations and right to privacy as to information regarding a disability. Such information shall only be immediately accessed by the Center for Student Accessibility (CSA) staff. Students who apply for services from the CSA office will be fully informed as to how this information will be used. The use of information will be limited to only that which is needed, usually to ensure that the College provides reasonable accommodation(s) to the student. If a student elects to have persons other than the CSA staff receive the information, such request must be in writing. https://www.palmbeachstate.edu/CSA/

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Definition – Student Records

Educational records, including records, files, documents, or other materials which contain information directly related to the student, are maintained by the College. These include but are not limited to, applications, test scores, transcripts, photos, and correspondence. All received transcripts and documents are the property of the College and may not be copied or transmitted to third parties, except in accordance with state law.

Inspection of Records

Eligible Persons: in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, also known as the Buckley Amendment), student records at the College (located in the Office of the Registrar) are open for inspection only by the student and, as per FERPA guidelines:

• School officials who have a legitimate educational interest as defined by college policy
• State educational authorities
• Federal and state officials representing state or federal programs
• Persons having written authorization for release
• Officials in compliance with judicial orders

Upon request, the College discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or where the student is already enrolled so long as the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer.

Viewing the Records

• Permanent records are never permitted out of the Office of the Registrar.
• Students may view their transcripts from other institutions but may only obtain an official copy of the record. It is recommended that the student request a copy from the institution from which the transcript originated.
• Students may make an appointment to view their records at the counter in the presence of Registrar’s Office personnel.

Requests for Copies of Records

• Palm Beach State College transcripts are released only upon written consent of the student.
• If a student cannot have access to the record, i.e., if he/she lives too far away (minimally outside of Palm Beach County) or extenuating circumstances exist, students may request copies of their records through written requests to the campus registrar. The request must specify the types of records to be copied. The registrar will comply with a request for a meeting and/or copies in a reasonable timeframe (no more than thirty (30) business days), depending upon the complexity of the records requested and the time during the term in which the request is received.
• Students will pay a fee of 50 cents per page, up to 49 pages, then $1 per page thereafter for any approved copies of their records.
• Subpoenas of student records must be issued by a court of competent jurisdiction and specify the type of records being requested. The College reserves the right to charge accordingly for the production of documents responsive to subpoenas. Those requesting records by subpoena must allow sufficient time (at least ten (10) business days) for the affected student to be notified prior to the issuance of records.

Retention of Records

Student records will be maintained for a maximum of five years from the student’s attendance. Certain documents, such as grades, will be maintained longer in accordance with state archiving and records retention laws and the College Registrar Records and Retention Schedule.

Student Directory Information

The College abides by federal and state regulations regarding the privacy of student records and complies with the laws regarding access procedures. The Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requires each institution to determine "directory information" that may be released without the student's consent unless the student has specifically requested that some or all the information not be released. Palm Beach State has classified the following as directory information:

• Student name
• Personal email address (non-institutional)
• Dates of attendance (session dates only)
• Major field of study
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Degrees and awards received
• Educational institution attended

If a student does not wish to have the directory information released, the student must complete and submit a non-disclosure. The non-disclosure request is located on Workday.

Student Records Amendment Appeal Process

If a student believes there is inaccurate, misleading information in the permanent record which is otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights, the student should contact the Registrar’s Office to arrange a hearing.

A hearing will be conducted according to FERPA.

• The hearing will be within a reasonable period of time after the request is received.
• The student shall be given notice of date, place, and time reasonably in advance.
• A written decision shall be made by the registrar within a reasonable period of time after the hearing. The written decision and summary shall be based on evidence presented and reasons for the decision.

Freedom of Expression Act

Outdoor areas of Palm Beach State College campuses may be used for expressive activities as long as no state or federal laws are violated, the participant’s behavior does not violate PBSC policy nor materially and substantially disrupt the functioning of the College or infringe upon the rights of others to engage in expressive activities. Outdoor areas include grassy areas, walkways, or other similar common areas.  Areas where expressive activities are prohibited include the area within and the surrounding fifty (50) feet of any College building or structure, or any other restricted area on campus. Moreover, “material and substantial disruption” of any previously scheduled event or activity is also prohibited.

Material and substantial disruption includes, but is not limited to: hindering the flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic; obstructing entrances and exits from buildings or parking structures/lots; violating any applicable law; threatening other individuals in a manner that an objective reasonable person would interpret as a serious expression of intent to cause present or future harm to an identifiable person or group of persons; utilizing sound amplification except as specifically permitted by the College; or obstructing or attempting to physically force the cancellation or continuance of a speaker.

Members of the public who wish to use the College campus for commercial purposes must register with the scheduling office on the specific campus they wish to access and must abide by applicable Federal and State laws and College policies and procedures.

Intellectual Property Rights

The College encourages an intellectual environment whereby the creative efforts and innovations of its students can be encouraged and rewarded. The College, therefore, does not claim ownership rights to the intellectual property created by students in the scope of their attendance except where the student has utilized substantial resources of the College in the development of the work beyond those resources commonly provided to students for production of publications or class projects.

Intellectual property is meant to include both traditional forms of intellectual property, such as student publications, class project outcomes and student papers, as well as non-traditional intellectual property such as, CD, DVD, Web Pages, applications, computer programs, TV courseware, or other electronically recorded materials. All such intellectual property remains the property of the authoring student. However, the College retains an interest in said property by virtue of the College’s assistance and support for its development, production and dissemination and shall have reasonable access to and use of the intellectual property for such purposes as student evaluation and reproduction in exercising its administrative duties Religious Observances.

Religious Observances

The College shall make reasonable accommodation in admissions, class attendance, scheduling of examinations, and work assignments in regard to religious observances, practices, and beliefs of individual students, as required by the applicable state and federal law. Students are required to notify instructors and other appropriate College personnel in writing, at least one week prior to an anticipated religious observance. If the holiday falls during the first week but after the first day of class, students shall notify their instructors of the reasons for their absences on the first day of class. If the holiday falls on the first day of class, students shall notify their instructors of the reasons for their absences at the next class meeting.

A student who exercises his religious observance and is denied accommodations may appeal in writing to the supervisor of the faculty or staff member who denied the request by submitting the Student Resolution Request Form within five (5) business days from the time of the denial. If the student is not satisfied with the determination at this level, an appeal may be made to the next level of academic management. The maximum time between each appeal and response will be five (5) business days.

The student may appeal to the Dean of Academic Affairs for a committee hearing if the student is not satisfied with the results of the preceding steps. The committee, to be appointed by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, will hear the facts, and provide a recommendation to the Vice President, whose decision on the matter shall be final.

Students are responsible for all material covered during their approved absence. The approval shall detail a reasonable period for the student to complete missed work and make-up assignments. When possible, major class assignments, examinations, and official ceremonies, shall not be scheduled on major religious holidays.

Title IX Rights

Palm Beach State College shall provide an educational environment free of sexual harassment and discrimination based on sex. Sexual harassment; a form of sex discrimination; is not tolerated by Palm Beach State College.