FERPA PRIVACY INFORMATION AND SECURITY                  
A.    Privacy Policy  

ATSMP carefully protects all personal information in its possession regarding students and their families. The school employs office procedures and password-protected computer systems to ensure the security of paper and electronic records. ATSMP does not disclose its security procedures to students or the general public to protect the effectiveness of those procedures. Access to social security numbers and other personally identifiable information (PII) is strictly limited to those School Officials (see definition below) with a need-to-know, as determined by the school Director.  

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) provides current and former students with the right to inspect and review educational records, the right to seek to amend those records, the right to limit disclosure of information from the records and the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants or students may also waive their rights to inspect confidential letters or statements of recommendation.   

B.    School Official  
In accordance with FERPA, the student's consent is not required when a School Official has a legitimate educational interest in the student's educational record; that is, if the official needs to review this information in order to fulfill his/her professional responsibility. However, this does not constitute authorization to share that information with a third party without the student's written consent.  

A "School Official" is a person employed by the school in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the school has contracted (such as an attorney or auditor); a person serving on the Board of Directors; or a student serving in an official position/capacity, or assisting a school Official in performing his/ her tasks.  

C.    Directory Information  
School Officials may not disclose personally identifiable information about a student nor permit inspection of a student's records without the student's written permission, unless such action is covered by certain exceptions permitted by FERPA. Under the provisions of the Act, a school may disclose information about a student if it has designated that the information is "Directory Information". ATSMP has designated the following as Directory Information:  

• Student’s name  

• Hometown 

• Telephone number  

• Email address  

• Previous institution(s) attended  

• Enrollment status  

• Dates of attendance 

• Academic program  

• Date of graduation/expected date of graduation  

• Honors or awards received  

STUDENT RIGHTS UNDER FERPA                                
D.    Right to Review Educational Records 
FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. Students have the right to review their educational records within 45 days of the day the school receives a written request for access. Students requesting a review should submit to the Director a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Director will notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.  

E.    Right to Request an Amendment
Students have the right to request an amendment to educational records that are believed to be inaccurate. Students requesting a change must write to the School Official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. If the School Official decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, ATSMP will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing with the Director regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.  

F.    Right to Consent to Disclosures
Students have the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's educational records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.  

G.    Right to File Complaint
Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by ATSMP to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:  

Family Policy Compliance Office 
U.S. Department of Education  
400 Maryland Avenue, SW  
Washington, DC 20202-4605