Confidential Information Policy
Employees of Central College will receive and have access to information that is confidential in nature regarding the college, its Board of Trustees, its students and prospective students, parents and donors. Employees are not to disclose any such confidential information to (a) any other person in the organization unless there is a legitimate college reason for doing so; or (b) any person outside the organization unless appropriate officers of the college have expressly stated that the information can be disclosed to that person. This obligation exists even after the employee leaves the employment of the college.
Confidential information shall mean any information or data which are not generally known to persons who are not officers, agents, board members, or employees of the college, and which are not part of the public record. Examples of such confidential information include, but are not limited to: unless a signed release is given by the person, the names of or information relative to past, present or prospective students, donors, employees, or faculty members, including social security numbers or other identification numbers, medical information, and student and parent financial information; proprietary information; information relative to methods and procedures for pricing; information regarding marketing strategies, operational planning and strategies; changes in management or operations of the college until such information has been made public by appropriate officers of the college; all information stored and maintained in college computers, including software object and source codes. (See Central College Intellectual Property Statement for additional information.)
The college has developed certain proprietary products and processes that are unique to the college. Keeping such information from competitors plays an important part in our success. The organization protects proprietary information by restricting access to certain designated areas and access to documents to only those employees and visitors who have college reasons to view them.
These matters of confidentiality are consistent with the policies and procedures required under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) which relates to personal student information such as grades, and the GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Biley Act) which relates to student and parent financial information. For further information on the FERPA contact the Registrar; for further information on the GLBA contact the Director of Financial Aid or the Chief Information Officer.
Such confidentiality furthers the interest of the college and permits the college to comply with its obligations, including those to its constituents, prospective students, donors, alumni, faculty, employees and others to whom the college may have similar obligations regarding confidentiality.
Any violation of this policy can lead to discipline, up to and including termination of employment.