Christopher Brown

I wasn't aware that the housing provider also fell under the FERPA protections: 

"A student housing facility owned by a third party that has a contract with an institution to provide housing for its students is considered to be under the control of the institution (whether the rent is paid directly by students or by the institution on their behalf). Therefore, records maintained by the third party or the institution, related to students living in that housing, are subject to FERPA."

I wonder if this applies to someone who, for example, does not have a contract with the school, but… >>>

I found the part about the hiring practices interesting and funny. One day, if we are together chatting, I will tell you why. Just know that sometimes the hiring practices are taken too literally...

As stated before, the idea of knowing exactly who has access to what data seems to be a full time job in and of itself. It seems that the best practice is to limit who can see any information to ensure that no legal issues arise.

The protection of private records is a complex idea. Between trying to understand who is a school representative or who has the right to what information, it might be best to seek legal assistance. Especially when it might not be clear what information is supposed to be kept private and what can be made available.

There are both legal and moral obligations for dealing with students. I have met students with obvious disabilities who want nothing more than to be treated like everyone else. They don't want special treatment. Then I have met others who clearly do not need them and are just looking for special treatment or use it as an excuse to be disruptive. The entire class needs to also be considered in these instances. 

Accommodations can be a source of contention if they are overused. Who would need to be brought in if some students complain that another student has too many accommodations?

I think we need to pay attention to one of the more often overlooked groups, disabled veterans. And I don't mean the physical disabilities lost, but the mental disabilities faced. I have had students break down in class because of something that happened years prior and it wasn't related to a discussion. These things happen and we need to understand how to deal with it.

The clarification on Service Animal vs Emotional Support Animal should be understood by many more people. There is a distinction and it should be enforced more consistently.

Motivation is a fun and complex thing. What gets one student interested may not affect another. I used to take students out to perform actual, real-world work when teaching Electrical. All of it was school sanctioned, it was work for Habitat for Humanity so it was all volunteer, and it gave them not only real world experience, but it showed them that they could do it.

I have always used the "There are several options for assignments". I tell the students that if they are passionate about what they are writing about, then it will come across in the paper. As long as it is school appropriate...