- Confidentiality
The Dean of Student’s Office is responsible for receiving and maintaining disability-related documentation and information for students with disabilities at Suffolk University. The Dean of Students Office views all information regarding a student’s disability as confidential as required under federal law. All written materials used to document a student’s disability, provision of accommodation and contact with the Dean of Student’s Office are maintained separate from the Office’s permanent files. The documentation may include:
Diagnostic information, medical records, psychological, psychoeducational and/or neuropsychological evaluations, academic transcripts, biographical history, case notes, and any other disability-related information necessary to document and provide appropriate accommodations to students with disabilities.
The Dean of Students Office has adopted the following guidelines to ensure confidentiality of disability-related information in student records:
| No one is given immediate access to disability files at the Dean of Students Office except professional staff within the office. | |
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Disability-related documentation is maintained in a secure location and separate from individual student files within the Dean of Students Office. | |
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A student must give written consent for disability-related information to be released to others within the campus community or external to Suffolk University. | |
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Written notification of a disability for purposes of providing reasonable accommodation does not entitle the reader access to disability documentation or additional disability-related information. |
Information may be released, without student consent and in accordance with federal and state laws, to:
| Protect the health and safety of a student or other persons | |
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Comply with a judicial order or a subpoena |
Faculty and staff are notified of reasonable accommodations required to provide students with disabilities equal access to programs and services. Students requesting in-class accommodation or faculty assistance acknowledge that some level of disclosure may be necessary to provide requested accommodation(s). This does not, however, furnish faculty with the right to view a student’s disability-related information or discuss it with others.