Welcome Back Professor Kotter!
Professor Kotter picks up the phone to hear a familiar but unique laugh that could only be his former student, Arnold Horshack. After reminiscing a bit about the old high school gang, Arnold requests a recommendation for his prospective employer, Vinnie Barbarino. It seems Vinnie Barbarino now owns a chain of disco dance studios and Arnold has his sights set on rekindling the disco craze and reusing all those great polyester suits. Professor Kotter, hoping to avoid catching the disco fever, hastily agrees to send a recommendation right away.
What information does Professor Kotter have the ability to gather? What information does Professor Kotter have the authorization to release?
Who Can Receive Education Information?
You can disclose information from a student’s education record only with the student’s written consent. Some exceptions which do not require the student’s written consent are listed below.
School Officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the records are:
- a person elected to the Board of Trustees;
- a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position;
- a person employed by or under contract to the University to perform a special task, such as legal counsel or an auditor.
If there is any question in your mind regarding any request for education record information, it is always better to err on the conservative side. Or, call the office that maintains that portion of the education record and ask for guidance.
Dear Vinnie Barbarino
Armed with Arnold’s academic record, Professor Kotter is ready to write his recommendation. Professor Kotter can give a great character reference from his own personal experiences with Arnold. However, he cannot release this information from the student’s education record to anyone off-campus without Arnold’s written release.
Contact: Norma I. Guiler nguiler@ups.edu