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Confidentiality

Your Information

Information contained in a student's file is considered part of their educational record and is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Information may be released from the file in only three circumstances:

  • Court order
  • With the student's written permission
  • Internally within Dartmouth based on a legitimate educational reason

In other words, SAS will not share a student's documentation or other information with a student's transfer institution, study abroad program, graduate institution, professional school, or any other agency unless the student requests, in writing, that we share this information and specifies exactly what information should be shared. Similarly, SAS does not automatically notify a student's professors once the student has registered for classes; students must make a separate request through our database for each individual course/professor whom they want notified.

Guidelines Governing Confidentiality

SAS follows 5 guidelines regarding confidentiality:

  1. All information including documentation, correspondence, and accommodation records are considered confidential. SAS has an obligation to maintain confidentiality of all disability- and condition-related information.
  2. Access to disability-related information within SAS systems is on a need-to-know basis and only for the purpose of assuring appropriate accommodations. (This is why accommodation notifications to professors do not specify the nature of the student's condition.)
  3. SAS is prohibited by law from releasing any disability records or identifying information to any outside entity. This includes documentation the student provides when registering with the office.
  4. The student may request, in writing, information to be released to specific persons or agencies by signing a release-of-Information form. Per the Institutional FERPA policy, requested information will be released within 45 days.
  5. With a signed accommodation agreement form, the SAS staff may discuss need-to-know information with college faculty or staff in order to assure appropriate academic accommodation.