campus security: [april 2008]
Published: 03/24/08
- U.S. Proposes New Rules on Student Privacy
From the article of the same title by: Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed - The U.S. Department of Education has proposed new regulations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) in an effort to give college officials more latitude for sharing information about students they believe might jeopardize the health and safety of themselves or others. Seeking to clarify the legal standard under which information may be shared, the proposal would require that an "articulable and significant threat" be present, but would also give some assurance that officials' decisions are less likely to be second-guessed if they have a "rational basis." A federal report after last year's shootings at Virginia Tech found "confusion and different interpretations" about when instructors or administrators may provide information about students who could cause harm. Other proposed rules include conforming FERPA with the USA Patriot Act and the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act; clarifying that students' information can be shared with parents under certain circumstances and with other institutions where the student is enrolled; and providing "objective standards" for when education records and other information can be released without a student's permission, so long as personally identifiable information has been removed.
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For further information on FERPA proposed amendments, see: http://www.aacrao.org/transcript/index.cfm?fuseaction=show_view&doc_id=3821
