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Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA
disability must • Be submitted from a qualified professional and typed on a letterhead that includes the date and signature of the qualified professional • Include the date(s) of the evaluation • State the diagnosis or diagnoses of the disability • State the symptoms or impact of the disability on daily functioning • Make a reference to the types of evaluation procedures that were utilized • Include the evaluation results/scores (as appropriate) • Include the limitations of student functioning (especially as related to the higher education environment) • Provide recommendations and rationale for accommodations which would be helpful in assisting institutional personnel in determining appropriate and necessary support 4. The documentation must be current, giving an accurate picture of how the disability impacts the student at this point in time. In most cases, documentation should be less than three years old.
For psychiatric disabilities the documentation should be current within the past year, with updates provided (as appropriate) during a student’s enrollment at ATS. 5. The documentation, when initially submitted to ATS, must be provided at least one month prior to the first course, and two weeks prior to the first day of class for each semester. 6. Once the Disability Resource Center has received the documentation, the Accommodations Committee completes the Graduate Student Assignment of Accommodation form, with consideration given to recommendations for reasonable accommodations made by the professional who evaluated the student.
7. The reasonable accommodations that are provided to the student by ATS will be listed on this form.
The Graduate Student Assignment of Accommodations: Professor form, signed by the student and the professor, is a form listing the reasonable accommodations so that the professor can work with the student on implementation of the accommodations in the course. The office personnel work together with the student and the professor to ensure that the reasonable accommodations are effectively implemented in each course for each semester. 8. The student is responsible for communicating to the professors which of the specific accommodations would be applicable for each respective course at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the course.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. (An “eligible student” under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution at any age.) These rights include:
1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the day the
Seminary receives a request for access. To request access a student must submit a written request to the Office of the Registrar that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The Registrar’s
Office will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the Registrar’s Office, the Registrar’s
Office will advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed. 2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.
A student who wishes to ask the Seminary to amend a record should write the Office of the Registrar, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be
changed.
If the Seminary decides not to amend the record as requested, the Seminary will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment.
Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing. 1. The right to provide written consent before the Seminary discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
2. Among other things, the Seminary may disclose education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is typically a person employed by the Seminary in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including security personnel and health staff); a person serving on the board of trustees; or someone serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of the Seminary who performs an institutional service of function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent or a student volunteering to assist another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official typically has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the Seminary.
Upon request, the school also discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the Seminary to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202 Under FERPA, the Seminary may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless the student has advised the Seminary to the contrary in accordance with Seminary procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the Seminary to include information from the student’s education records in certain school publications. Examples include:
• A playbill, showing the student’s role in a drama production; • Honor roll or other recognition lists; and • Graduation programs Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without an eligible student’s prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or graduation regalia. Should a student desire that the seminary not disclose any or all of the foregoing information, the Registrar must be notified in writing within 10 days of the commencement of the term or semester the student is entering or within 10 days of the commencement of any fall semester.
• Student’s name
• Address
• Telephone listing
