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Assignment 3: Classification and Partition

Midwestern State College's Student Handbook

According to the law, all educational institutions must inform students about their privacy rights. In compliance with the law, Midwestern State College has added the following page to the student handbook the college publishes. The entry, however, is not organized into appropriate, cohesive paragraphs; nor are bulleted items arranged into appropriate groups.

Read through this page of the student handbook and reorganize the sentences into an introductory paragraph, three unified subsections (students' rights, directory information, and employees' responsibilities) each with its own list of bullets, and a conclusion stating the penalties for non-compliance. Although it is not really necessary, you may want to change a few words to create transitions between sentences and/or paragraphs. Keep in mind the guidelines offered in your textbook as well as the suggestions, questions, and comments that appear in the pop-up boxes as you roll your cursor over sections of the tags.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The law governs access to school records and the release of information from those records. All employees of Midwestern State College (MSU)—including administrators, faculty, staff, and student workers—are required to abide by the policies governing review and release of said records. Potential penalties for non-compliance with FERPA may include legal actions and cessation of federal funding to the educational institution. Inappropriate disclosure of students’ educational records is grounds for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal of the employee.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 establishes guidelines designed to protect the privacy of students’ educational records. FERPA regulations do not apply to student information that is considered to be “directory information.” MSU employees hold positions of trust and must recognize the responsibilities entrusted to them in preserving the security and confidentiality of students’ educational information. Directory information may be made public at the discretion of the educational institution provided its release does not result in an employee of Midwestern State College receiving personal gain from releasing the information.

Beginning the first day of class, FERPA guarantees students the following rights regarding their educational records: MSU employees are prohibited from doing any of the following violations: Directory information includes the following:

·  Name

·  The right to review their own educational records

·  Awards

·  Major and/or minor fields of study

·  Divulging contents of any educational records to a third party

·  The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning violations of FERPA in regard to their own educational records

·  Permitting unauthorized use of students’ educational records

·  Removing student records from their official locations

·  Participation in MSU sanctioned activities

·  Posting grades

·  The right to amend inaccurate or misleading educational records

·  Misusing any student records

·  Degrees earned

·  Knowingly or unwittingly including false or misleading information in a student’s records

·  Dates of attendance

·  The right to consent to specific cases of disclosure of their records to a third party