Tips for Avoiding Legal Issues for Blinn College Employees
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Be familiar with College District Policies and Procedures.
Blinn College is governed by Board Policies as well as Administrative Procedures. Board Policies are split into two categories: Legal Policies are mandated by law and updated periodically by a policy service; and Local Policies are adopted by the Blinn College Board of Trustees. Administrative Procedures are adopted by the Blinn College Executive Council. -
Utilize the Administrative Resources available to Blinn employees.
Sometimes a situation can be avoided by involving the right people. Some of the Administrative Resources available are: Human Resources, Student Services, Academic Affairs, and the Blinn College Legal Liaison. -
Document employee issues (if in a supervisory role) and document student issues (if in a faculty role).
Remember that all forms of documentation are subject to public information/open records law, so be careful to only document facts. -
Be familiar with basic student rights and FERPA Regulations.
FERPA was designed to protect the privacy of educational records, to establish the rights of students to inspect and review their educational records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. In general, no personal information from a student's educational records will be disclosed without written consent from the student. Two exceptions may, however, be made:
(1) directory information will be released unless the student requests that it not be released; and
(2) records may be disclosed to parents of students who are dependents as defined by Internal Revenue Code 1954, Section 152.
Refer all requests for student educational records to Admissions and Enrollment. -
If you receive a request or subpoena for College District information, immediately forward it to OpenRecordsRequest@blinn.edu for compliance.
It is critical that you do not hold these requests or respond without assistance from the Public Information Officer, as there are specific laws regarding the timeliness and disclosure of information. -
Do not bind the College in any way unless you are authorized to do so.
Make sure you have the authority to enter into a contract or memorandum of understanding/agreement, even if it seems minor or routine in nature. -
When in doubt… ask!