The Center for Learning and Accessible Student Services (CLASS) recognizes the sensitive nature of the information it receives about students; therefore, CLASS views all material pertaining to a student’s disability as private. This policy is based on government mandates regarding the treatment of disability-related information.
- Any written material obtained by CLASS is used to verify the disability and plan for appropriate services and accommodations.
- Disability-related information we receive is housed in the CLASS offices. Each student has a separate file which is stored in a secure filing cabinet. Only staff persons working in CLASS have access to these files.
- Files located in the CLASS offices are maintained for a period of seven years after a student is no longer registered for classes or upon graduation from the university. After a period of seven years, the file is destroyed.
- The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), limits faculty access to student files and disability-related information.
Some level of disclosure to faculty is necessary for a student to receive accommodations through CLASS.
Your Specialist can discuss more fully with you how we share information with others such as professors, other campus services, your parents and family members, your doctors, and other clinicians.
- Information may also be shared with other professionals of the university on a need-to-know basis when there is a legitimate educational interest. What may be shared is the impact of the disability on a student’s functioning within the institutional community.
- For people outside the Augsburg community, including parents, we will need your written permission to communicate with them. FERPA laws apply on the restriction of disclosure of information related to the student’s university record. For information about FERPA, contact the Registrar.
- Any Institutional data collected from CLASS will be reported in a manner that protects the anonymity/privacy of the individual.
- A student may request to review the contents of his/her own file when a Specialist is present. All information in the file is the property of CLASS.
- CLASS cannot forward documentation that originated with another institution or professional. Other disability related information may be released to an outside source only after the student has given permission.
- CLASS will comply with Augsburg’s policy on Mandatory Reporting with regard to “harm to self or others.”