PROCEDURE FOR PROTECTING THE PRIVACY OF DISTANCE EDUCATION STUDENTS: FAMILY EDUCATION RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT NOTICE - FERPA
Drake State protects the security, confidentiality, and integrity of student records, adhering to the same privacy standards for online students as it does for students studying on campus through strict adherence to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) rules. The official FERPA statement is available for students to view on the college’s website in the Catalog/Student handbook.
Drake State issues a unique username and password to each student upon enrollment and each college employee upon the date of employment that is required to access the Canvas Learning Management System, the platform used for distance education. Canvas is an online platform used by faculty to share course materials, assignments, exams, and facilitate chat and discussion forums. It is also used by students to participate in discussions, upload assignments, and take quizzes and exams. Canvas LMS maintains the privacy of individual students’ assessments and grades.
Drake State shall not permit access to or the release of education records or personally identifiable information contained therein, other than directory information as defined with the paragraph titled “Directory Information,” without the written consent of the student, to any party other than the following:
- Other school officials and teachers of the college who have been determined by the college to have legitimate educational interests;
- Officials of those schools or school systems in which the student seeks or intends to enroll, upon the condition that the student may receive a copy of the record if desired, and have an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of the record;
- Certain authorized representatives of federal departments/agencies or state educational authorities for purposes of audits, evaluative studies, etc. Data collected will be protected in a way that prevents personal identification except when specifically authorized by federal law. The data will be destroyed when no longer needed for such purposes in connection with a student’s application for, or receipt of, financial aid;
- State and local officials or authorities to which such information is specifically required to be reported or disclosed pursuant to state statute adopted prior to November 19, 1974;
- Organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, educational agencies or institutions for the purpose of developing, validating, or administering predictive tests, administering student aid programs and improving instruction, provided such studies do not permit the personal identification of students to be released to persons other than representatives of said organizations and providing that such information will be destroyed when no longer needed;
- Accrediting organizations in order to carry out their accrediting functions; and
- Pursuant to a lawful subpoena or court order; other appropriate persons in an emergency to protect the health or safety of the student or others.
ANNUAL NOTIFICATION OF FERPA RIGHTS
Drake State provides students an annual notice of their Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) rights. Students will be notified by publication of the regulations in the College Catalog/Student Handbook, Annual Security Report and College’s Website.
STUDENT RECORDS DEFINED
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the confidentiality of student education records. The term “educational records” at Drake State is aligned with FERPA and generally includes any record, whether in a printed, handwritten, audio, video, or computer media format, maintained by Drake State containing information directly related to a student. Certain records are, however, excluded by FERPA from this broad definition, such as those made by instructional, supervisory, and administrative personnel and kept in their sole possession.
All computerized records of student admission, educational academic transcripts, financial aid, and financial accounts are maintained on the Banner computer system or electronic storage. All users must have a valid user I.D. and password that provides them access to specific menus which have been assigned based on user requirements. In addition to the use of passwords to secure computerized student records, the entire computer network is secured by a firewall.
Paper copies of academic student records are stored in secured file rooms located in the Admissions Office under the supervision of the Director of Admissions/Registrar. Hard copies of student financial aid records, student accounts, and student disciplinary records are stored in locked offices in securable filling cabinets under the supervision of the Director of Financial Aid, the Director of Fiscal Affairs, and the Dean of Students.
CONFIDENTIALITY OF STUDENT RECORDS
Confidentiality and access to student record information is controlled in accordance with the Family Educational Right and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and the implementing regulations, 34 C.F.R Part 99 to ensure confidentiality of student record information. Certain information classified as public or directory information may be released to the general public without prior written consent from a student. If the student requests non-disclosure of their records, their statement of non-disclosure is kept in their file and anyone using the system cannot release the information. Information is not released to third parties without the written consent of any student who requests non-disclosure of public or directory information. In addition to FERPA, the College is in compliance with the Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information, 16 C.F.R. Part 314, issued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as required by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act, P.L. 106-102. These Standards are intended to ensure security and confidentiality of records and information.
INTEGRITY OF STUDENT RECORDS
Drake State maintains information about students which facilitates the educational development of students and the effective administration of the college to guarantee the protection of student right of privacy and access as provider under FERPA. Only authorized personnel have passwords that allow them to view and edit student records information. Access is limited to only the information necessary for the user’s job and student record retention is governed by state and federal guidelines.
BACKUP MEASURES
The College uses digital imaging as a method of storing paper documents. Paper documents are imaged and stored digitally on the College's image server. These documents are then accessible to select personnel on campus. A complete backup of the image server is performed nightly. The Banner system is backed up to an additional local server at the College.
NOTICE: Under the Federal Family Educational Privacy Rights Act, 20 U.S.C. 123g, Drake State may disclose certain student information as “directory information.” Directory information includes the names, addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and major fields of study of students, as well as information about the student’s participation in officially recognized activities and sports, the weight and height of members of athletic teams, the dates of attendance by students, degrees and awards and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by a respective student. If any student has an objection to any of the aforementioned information being released during any given semester or academic year, the student should notify the Registrar, in person or in writing, during the first three weeks of the respective semester or academic year.