Confidentiality

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.

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 without a release. 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 SAS' Release-of-Information form. Per the Institutional FERPA policy, requested information will be released within 45 days.
5. With an online-authorized accommodation agreement form in effect, SAS staff may discuss need-to-know information with college faculty or staff in order to assure appropriate academic accommodation.

While parents and families may have been closely involved with their students' accommodation-related matters during prior schooling,

Dartmouth views students as the adults and primary self-advocates and decision-makers in their academics and other aspects of their Dartmouth program.

This is not to say that SAS expects students to have these skills mastered by the time they first engage with SAS! That's one reason SAS advisors are trained to carefully listen and thoughtfully ask questions that will help guide students through the interactive process and, in so doing, ensure that they receive the accommodations that are necessary and appropriate for them at the college level. Please read SAS' Advising page for more information about initial meetings with SAS, the interactive process, and how disability protections change (and previously provided accommodations may need to be adjusted) in higher education.

SAS prioritizes meeting and communicating with students, and even if a student chooses to include a parent or other family member in a meeting with SAS,

SAS will direct questions to and seek answers from the student. Likewise, if parents/families contact SAS regarding their student, SAS will not share information about the student and will seek to follow up directly with the student.

SAS' practices align with Dartmouth's approach to communicating with parents and families and our FERPA policy. While SAS focuses on developing relationships with students, college resources for family members are also available.