Privacy of Student Records and FERPA

General Privacy Policy:  Philadelphia Technician Training carefully protects all nonpublic personal information in our possession regarding students and their families. The school will not release nonpublic private, personal, or financial information about our students or applicants to any third party, except as specifically provided in this policy.  The school will release certain nonpublic personal information to federal and state agencies, government contractors, student loan providers/servicers, and other parties as necessary for the administration of the federal student aid programs, for enforcement purposes, for litigation, and for use in connection with audits or other investigations.  Disclosure is permitted to law enforcement or emergency services agencies in the performance of their duties or when student safety or health may be in jeopardy.  The school will not sell or otherwise make available personal information for marketing purposes to any third party at any time.

Protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII):  The school employs office procedures and password-protected computer systems to ensure the security of paper and electronic records.  All physical access to paper records, files, and storage is controlled by employees of the school, and no unauthorized access is permitted. Our computer systems offer a high degree of resistance to tampering and intervention. The school does not disclose more specific details of its internal security procedures to students or the general public to protect the effectiveness of those procedures.

School Official:  A “School Official” is a person employed by the school in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the school has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or accrediting agency); a person serving on the Board of Directors; or a student serving in an official position/capacity, or assisting a School Official in performing his/ her tasks.

A School Official can access a student’s record when and if the School Official has a legitimate educational interest in order to fulfill his/her professional responsibility (need-to-know).  Such access does not constitute authorization to share that information with a third party without the student’s written consent.

Financial Aid Information: Certain information necessary for the processing of federal financial aid programs may be disclosed to parents of dependent students.  In order for a person to be considered a “parent” for this purpose, the individual must be listed as such on the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application.  Further, certain information necessary for the administration of Federal Student Aid may be released to federal and state agencies, government contractors, student loan providers/servicers, and other parties.

Directory Information:  The school may disclose certain “Directory Information” about a student without the student’s permission. Philadelphia Technician Training has designated the following as Directory Information:

  • student’s name
  • academic program
  • participation in officially recognized activities
  • dates of attendance
  • graduation date
  • previous educational institution(s) attended
  • degrees, honors, and awards received

The school will honor requests from students who seek a higher level of privacy by not disclosing Directory Information upon written request to the Registrar.

Students’ Rights under FERPA

Students have certain specific rights under FERPA, as follows:
Right to Review Educational Records: FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. Students have the right to review their educational records within 45 days of the day the school receives a written request for access. Students requesting a review should submit to the Registrar a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect.  The Registrar will notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.  If the specifically requested records are not maintained in the office of the Registrar, the student will be advised of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

Right to Request an Amendment:  Students have the right to request an amendment to educational records that are believed to be inaccurate. Students requesting a change must submit a written request to the School Official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. If Philadelphia Technician Training decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the school will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her 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.

Right to Consent to Disclosures: Students have the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s educational records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.  Students wishing to provide a general release of information to a specific person or persons may complete a FERPA Release Form and submit it to the Registrar.

Right to File Complaint: Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Philadelphia Technician Training 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

Employee Policies:  All employees are strictly enjoined to protect the personal information of students, including adherence to the following:

  • Student PII shall not be removed from the premises or transported to other sites except with the specific permission of the President. This includes not only paper documents but also student PII in laptop files or other forms of electronic media/storage.
  • Employees shall utilize secure (complex) passwords for all electronic systems, and shall not store printed or written notes of passwords in their desk or work area.

Employees shall not leave any documents or folders containing PII in any public areas of the campus, nor shall they leave such documents unattended.

     
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