Responsible Office: Human Resources Approved By: President's Council Approved Date: 11/1/2011 Effective Date: 11/1/2011 Category: Faculty and Staff Description/Purpose: Confidentiality of University Documents and Records Procedures: Consequence: Details: Members of the University community are entrusted with confidential records and documents and are expected to safeguard this information from access or view of unauthorized persons. In 1974, the United States Congress passed the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment. According to the law, the purpose of the act is "to set out requirements for the protection of privacy of parents and students" regarding grades and other educational information as stipulated. FERPA addresses the issue of accessibility by third parties to educational records. These records can take on many forms, but the Buckley Amendment is concerned only with the information which is shared with or accessible to others; private notes kept by a professor or administrator, campus law enforcement documents, medical or psychiatric records, and parents' financial records are examples of information which are not covered by the law. The law itself is simple: information is divided into "directory" (public) information and "confidential" (private) information. Release of directory information without the individual student's express permission is allowed unless the student limits the release of such information in writing at the Office of the Registrar. Confidential Disclosure and Proprietary Information Members of the University community may have access to confidential and proprietary information. Confidential and Disclosure Agreements will be signed by members of the University community upon hire or appointment. These forms are available from Human Resources. Any unauthorized release of confidential information will be cause for disciplinary action. Related Policies Privacy of Student Records and Release of Information (FERPA)
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