Documentation Retention and Reactivation of Files

Documentation Retention and Reactivation of Files

Documentation Retention

All submitted materials will be held in the Office of Learning Assistance as educational records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Students have a right to review their educational records. However, students are encouraged to retain their own copies of disability documentation for future use as the University is not obligated to produce copies for students. Under HPU record retention requirements, disability documentation is mandated to be held for only five (5) years after the student has stopped attending Howard Payne University.

Reactivation of Files

The files of students who are registered for services will remain active throughout their continuous enrollment at Howard Payne University. Students who leave the University will be placed on inactive status. Prior approval for accommodations does not mean that students will automatically be approved for similar accommodations when they return.

Students who return to the University after being absent for more than one long semester will be asked to meet with the coordinator in order to reactivate their files. Students may be asked to present new documentation depending on factors such as length of time away from the University, date of original documentation, nature of disability and the original date through which accommodations were approved. Inactive files will be stored for five years from the date they were designated as inactive.