Protect Our StudentsProtect Ourselves

Registrar’s Office

and

Office of Information Technology

FERPA Rules and Regulations

What is FERPA?

FERPA stands for Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. This act grants four specific rights to students.

1. The right to see any information that the institution maintains on the student.

2. The right to seek amendment to these records and in certain cases append a statement to the record.

3. The right to consent to disclosure of her records.

4. The right to file a complaint with the FERPA Office in Washington.

What is a Student Educational Record?

Virtually any information provided by a student to the College for use in the educational process is considered a student educational record. Examples:

Personal information Enrollment records Grades Schedules

The format in which you find this information does not matter. Student educational records may be:

A document in the Registrar’s Office A computer printout in your office A class roll on your desktop A computer display screen of information Notes taken during an advisement session

What are the Basic Rules?

Student educational records are considered confidential and may not be released without the written consent of the student. As a College employee, you have a responsibility to protect all educational records in your possession.

Directory Information may be released without the student’s written permission. Directory Information is defined as:

A student’s name, address, and telephone number A student’s e-mail address A student’s major, participation in sports, dates of attendance,

degrees and awards received, enrollment status, and classification. Students may decide to restrict access to this directory

information. Employees are allowed access to this information only for

legitimate use in completion of your job duties and responsibilities. “Need to know,” not curiosity, is the basic principle.

If you are in doubt, do not release any information until you talk to the office responsible for student’s records.

Avoid Violations

To avoid violations of FERPA rules, DO NOT: Allow anyone else to use your user ID and password to log on to College

computers and information systems. Allow anyone else to use your user ID and PIN to access Banner Web for

Faculty. Share student information except in the course of authorized College business. Share student information with the parents of a student. Leave reports or screen prints where others may gain access to this

information. Position your computer monitor where anyone entering your office may view

this information. Leave your computer unattended when logged in to any system containing

student information. Link the name of a student with the student’s SSN in any manner or form which

is publicly accessible. Leave graded tests in a stack for student to pick up by sorting through the

papers of all students. Provide anyone with student schedules or assist anyone other than College

employees in finding a student on campus.

FERPA Quiz

If a student’s parent calls asking how a student is doing in a class, can you give out that information?

NO

You must assume that the student is an adult who is entitled to privacy, even from parents. You can not give out the grade or any other personal information. If parents insist they need the information, refer them to the Registrar’s Office. This office is familiar with the federal regulations that must be followed before such data may be released.

FERPA Quiz

You receive a call from the representative of a recruiting firm asking for names and addresses of students with a GPA of 3.0 or better. He says the firm has good job information for these students. Should you help these students get jobs by giving out this information?

NO

While we all want to help students to get good jobs, this request should be sent to the appropriate office. You should not provide student records to anyone outside the College without prior written consent of the student. In this instance, you should send this request to the Career Services Office or provide the students with the contact information of the recruiting firm.

FERPA Quiz

A person comes to you with a letter containing a signature that gives consent to release the transcript of a student. Should you release the transcript to this person?

NO

It is the responsibility of the Registrar’s Office to provide this service. In almost all cases, unless it is your job function, do not give out any records to a third party. You should refer this request to the Registrar’s Office.

FERPA Quiz

You receive a phone call from a law enforcement officer; he indicates that he is trying to determine whether a particular student was in class on a specific day. Since he is in the middle of an investigation are you allowed to give him this information?

NO

A legally binding subpoena or prior written consent of the student is required to access this information. If served with a subpoena, contact the College’s Legal Counsel immediately. Even with a subpoena, FERPA requires that the student be notified prior to releasing the information unless the subpoena specifically states that the student should not be notified.

FERPA Quiz

You get a frantic call from an individual who says that he is the father of a student and he must get in touch with her immediately because of a family emergency. Can you tell him the time and location of her next class?

NO

For the safety of the student, you cannot tell another person where a student is at any time. When this situation arises, refer the person to the Registrar’s Office.

FERPA Quiz

Is it wrong for professors to leave exams, papers, etc., outside of their offices for students to pick up?Yes

This is a violation of the privacy rule because it is inappropriate for students to have access to other students’ information. The institution could be held liable for failure to comply with FERPA if a student files a complaint. You cannot leave personally identifiable materials in a public place.

FERPA Quiz

An unauthorized person retrieves information from a computer screen that you left unattended. Under FERPA, is the institution responsible?

Yes

Information on a computer screen should be treated the same as printed reports. The format in which the information is contained is unimportant. Information should not be left accessible or unattended, including information on computer displays.

FERPA Quiz

You receive a call from another College employee requesting information on a student. You determine the employee does not have an educational need to know this information. Should you share the information?

NO

All data should be considered confidential even from other College employees if there is not a legitimate educational need to know. Curiosity is not a legitimate educational need.

FERPA Quiz

You are assisting a student with her class work, and she needs to use a computer to complete this work. Should you allow her to use your computer?

NO

While we always want to put our students first we need to ensure all students are protected. Your computer might provide access to other students’ records in addition to grades and test scores. The student you are assisting may gain access to this information without your knowledge. They may also be able to install a program that can capture your keystrokes including IDs and passwords or copy information contained on your hard drive.

What Should You Do To Protect Student Privacy?

Use a secure password and change your password on a regular basis

Shred documents that contain personally identifiable information (Do not throw them in the trash)

Secure personally identifiable data on your computer with a password or encryption software

Secure printed documents in a locked cabinet DO NOT allow others to use your user ID and

password DO NOT allow students to gain access to your office

computer

Questions

Office of the Registrar (229) 317-6742