The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) applies to all ACPE CPE programs. FERPA addresses privacy not confidentiality issues. This means students own the information about them and must know what is being collected and how it is being used. Their information cannot be shared without their written permission.
I. This ACPE CPE center/program guarantees to its students the right to inspect and review education records, to seek to amend them, to specified control over release of record information, and to file a complaint against the program for alleged violations of these Family Education and Privacy Act (FERPA) rights.
II. Directory information is student information not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released.
- Directory information includes name, address, email, telephone, date of birth, religion, and previous education. All other information is released only with the student’s written, signed, dated consent specifying which records are being disclosed, to whom, and for what limited purpose.
- Before releasing information, students must have received the Annual Notice.
- Current students can restrict directory information and/or record access at any time during attendance. Restrictions must be honored even after the student’s departure. Former students cannot initiate new restrictions after departure.
- In order to initiate restrictions, students should send a written, signed, dated “opt out” request to the Director of the Chaplaincy Department.
III. A student record is: (1) any record (paper, electronic, video, audio, biometric, etc.) directly related to the student, from which the student’s identity can be recognized; and (2) maintained by the education program/institution or a person acting for the institution.
- Application materials of students admitted and matriculated are part of the student record.
- Application materials for others are subject to particular state privacy laws for their retention, use and destruction. If no applicable laws exist, the center creates, publicizes, and follows its own protocol (see below in this section Policy for the Maintenance of Student Records).
IV. After a student’s completion of a unit of CPE, the official student record consists of the application face sheet, the ACPE Certified Educator’s written evaluation report, and the student’s own written evaluation report and is maintained according to the ACPE centers policy for the maintenance of student records.
V. A student has the right to object to record content. If not negotiable, the written objection will be kept with and released with the record. Grades are exempted from this right.
VI. Within this CPE center, the ACPE Certified Educator(s), Certified Education Candidates, as well as administrative staff when acting on instructions from supervisory staff, are considered education officials with legitimate education interests who have access to student records without student consent. Legitimate education interests include but are not limited to the writing of evaluations and preparation of accreditation or certification materials as well as record inspections during ACPE accreditation review.
VII. Students have the right to review their record within 45 days of their request for review. Record inspection cannot be denied based on student’s inability to come to the site or outstanding financial obligations. In the latter case, the ACPE center at University of Louisville Hospital will note on any copies sent, “not available for official use.” When a student record contains identifiers of another student, those must be redacted.
Violations of these protocols may be reported to the Chair of the Accreditation Commission at ACPE, 1 Concourse Pkwy, Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30328, Telephone: (404) 320-1472.
