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Student Records

Requesting Transcripts and Other Student Records

Communications, Discipline Records, Video Records, Emails, etc.

These records would need to be requested through the Public Records Request process.

Public Records Request Center

Former Students, Universities, and Corporations

Use the Parchment Student Education Records Request System to request:

  • Student records (transcript, replacement diploma, graduation status or other student records) or
  • A graduation verification for a former student.
Parchment – Student Educational Records Request System

Attaching Documents to Requests

  • Requests for student records from certain organizations, agencies and government bodies (i.e. most third parties unless allowed under FERPA) require a signed release of information form. Please attach the form directly to the order to avoid delays.
    • Graduation Verifications do not require a signed release of information form, since the information shared is considered directory information.
  • If a certification form needs to be completed by a Seattle Public Schools representative as part of the order, please attach the form directly to the order.
  • Current and former students should be prepared to attach a photo or copy of a government-issued photo identification (Driver’s License, Passport, etc.). The photo id needs to include the student’s name, date of birth and a photo. A digital photograph of the id is acceptable.
  • There is a convenience/service fee applied to all orders, even orders for current students.

Per the Federal Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), the right to access educational records passes from the parent to the student once the student reaches the age of 18. Requests from parents of former students that are over 18 years old, must be accompanied by a signed release form. Or the request needs to be submitted by the former student.

Requests from/for Former Students for Unofficial Student Records

Unofficial records are educational records that are not signed or sealed. In some circumstances, unofficial records may be acceptable (genealogy requests, Washington State covenant program, etc.). To request unofficial records, send an email to archives@seattleschools.org with your request. Specify that unofficial records are being requested, what records are needed and make sure a copy of your government issued photo identification is attached. Third party requesters must attach a signed release of information form in place of photo identification.

Failure to provide ID and/or documentation will delay our response time.

Alumni Access to Naviance

Students who set up an account with Naviance before they graduated directly at naviance.com continue to have full access to Naviance for 3 years after they graduated, including access to eDocuments. These former students will have general access to naviance.com for a maximum of 8 years.

Current Students – High School Transcript Requests

First and foremost, to support current students in their college application efforts, there are a number of existing resources in place at the student’s school (Naviance, Common App, Staff, etc.).

Therefore, students should work with the people & resources at their school to ensure transcripts are submitted as part of existing and established college application processes.

Request Transcripts in Naviance

Naviance is an application that students can use throughout the school year to identify where they are applying to college. When they identify a college, they outline the types of transcripts that are being requested to support their application to that college (Initial, Mid-Year, Final). In Naviance, there is an indicator as to how that college will accept a transcript: Via Naviance, Via CommonApp, or paper copies.

At different points in the year, staff will upload the transcripts for students and send the transcripts to the colleges that have been identified, with the exception of paper copies – schools will notify students how paper copies of transcripts will be handled.

There is a brief window of time that Naviance is not available in the summer (~July 4 – early August), but as long as the ‘Final’ transcript option was selected for a given college, that transcript will be sent automatically – no additional action is needed from a student.

Any changes a student would like to make to their Naviance options after July 4 may not be possible due to system outages.

For more assistance, reach out to staff at your school.

Final Transcripts (End of the Year Transcripts)
  • Final Transcripts are not available until approximately 12 week days after the last day of school. Every year, this date is defined by the Teacher Union contracts, so the date varies.
  • Final Transcripts from SPS in July do not contain Running Start Grades from Spring Quarter. If a college requires the Running Start grades from the final quarter, students will need to request their transcript from their Running Start college to be sent to the colleges that need those transcripts.
    • High school credits earned via Running Start will be added to the high school transcript in the Fall of the following year.
  • Colleges may send out a reminder communication about needing final transcripts – If the ‘Final’ transcript option is selected in Naviance or CommonApp, please be reassured that the final transcript will be sent. No additional action needs to be taken. The college may be behind in processing the transcripts received.

If a Current Student Needs Assistance

School Staff are there to help. Staff will guide students on the use of Naviance and CommonApp, supply students with paper/fax copies of transcripts as requested, upload transcripts to Naviance and Online College Application Portals to meet deadlines, etc.

Paper Copies

In some cases, colleges do not accept transcripts via CommonApp or Naviance:

  • When a college is identified in Naviance, but does not accept electronic transcripts, the school will generate a paper copy of the transcript. The school will provide the transcript to the student to mail.
  • When a college is not listed in Naviance, the student should work with staff to make sure they get a copy of their transcript to support their application.
Order Transcripts with Parchment

The last resource available to current high school students and parents of underage high school students to request official and unofficial copies of their high school transcript is the Parchment Online Student Records Request System.

For instance, some colleges do not accept transcripts via Naviance or the CommonApp. In this case, paper transcripts may be requested from or provided by staff at the school or it may be more convenient to order a transcript via Parchment.

Do not order transcripts via Parchment if the transcript is being sent via Naviance or the CommonApp, especially Final transcripts. Colleges may send out a reminder communication about Final Transcripts, but if the ‘Final’ transcript option is selected in Naviance, please be reassured that the final transcript will be sent via Naviance.

How to Order via Parchment (Current Students)

  1. Go to the Parchment website
  2. There is a convenience/service fee associated with all orders.
  3. Fill out all required fields and respond to all prompts.
  4. There are other internal systems open to students at no cost – please see information about Naviance or reach out to your most current school with your request.
Questions?

Questions or concerns? Contact us!

DCYF and Foster Student Records

If a DCYF Caseworker needs to submit documentation to Seattle Public Schools about a student for our records (School Notification, Court Orders, etc), please send the documentation to the student’s current school and cc the Records & Archives Dept archives@seattleschools.org, Alesia Jessie amjessie@seattleschools.org and Charlotte McCracken cmmccracken@seattleschools.org.

If a DCYF Caseworker needs to submit a request for student records:

  • Please work with the student’s current school to request records.
  • If the school is on break or if the school is not responding, please reach out to the Seattle Public Schools Records & Archives Department archives@seattleschools.org with the request.
  • For Special Education Records for a student, please email the Special Education Records Department spedrecords@seattleschools.org with the request.

Note that requests must come directly from a valid DCYF email address for us to ensure the request is legitimate. Encrypted emails will not be accepted or reviewed.

Special Education and 504 Records

Please work with your student’s school for these records. If that is not successful, please reach out to the respective departments directly for those records – the contact information can be found in the contacts section of this page. FERPA requirements apply – records will only be released to a known parent/guardian, requesters with a signed release of information form or requesters identified under FERPA that do not need a signed release form. A valid government issued photo identification may be requested.

SPS Capital Projects Verification Requests

To request the required verification for the union, please complete the SPS Capital Projects Verification Request form (SCWA).

  • You will be asked to provide information about yourself, your work history and your student (if applicable)

What to Expect in Response

The Verification Request will be processed by the Records & Archives Department – requests will be completed in 3–5 business days. The notification to the Capital Projects team will include:

  • Graduation Verification: Whether the student graduated from SPS and the graduating high school, OR
  • Enrollment History: If the student did not graduate from an SPS high school, the last date and school of enrollment.

For parents/guardians, the verification information provided will be about their ‘student’.

If Records Cannot Be Found

The Records & Archives Department will notify the requester if records are not found. The requester will be given a week to respond with additional information. If a response is not received within a week, the Capital Projects team will be informed that no record was found based on the information provided by the requester. This notification will serve as confirmation that the requester (or the requester’s student) did not attend SPS.

Important Information for Parents/Guardians Regarding Pre-2008 Records

Records created before 2008 list only one parent or guardian. As a result, we can confirm parent/guardian status only for the individual named in those records.
If you are not the parent/guardian listed, you may be asked to provide additional documentation—such as a birth certificate—to establish your connection to the student.

Subpoenas, Legal Requests

Submit subpoenas and legal requests to legal@seattleschools.org.