FERPA Introduction
an Introduction
to
FERPA
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
What is FERPA?
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act,
1974
A federal law that governs the
confidentiality of student
records.
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Exactly what
are student
records?
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
A student record is…
Any information, either written or electronic, about a student
enrolled or previously enrolled at Marshall University.
This includes:
• Personal identifiers (birth date, address, phone number, student identification
number, etc.).
• Enrollment records and other electronic information, grades, personal
notes that have been shared with others in your department.
• Employment records for college employees, law enforcement or
campus security records.
This information may be contained in a document in the
Registrar's Office, a computer printout in your office, a class list
on your desktop, a computer display screen or notes taken
during an advising session.
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Under FERPA you cannot…
•
Provide lists of students enrolled in your courses for any
commercial purposes.
•
Provide student schedules to anyone or assist anyone
other than authorized Marshall University employees in
locating a student on campus.
•
Provide student grades over the phone or via email.
•
Provide information to any person, including parents
and spouses, without the written consent of the
student.
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
What
information
CAN you
provide under
FERPA?
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Under FERPA you CAN…
Release directory information to the
general public.
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
If the student has NOT restricted access to
directory information, you can release:
Name.
Photo.
Local address and phone number.
Permanent address and phone number.
Email address.
NOTE: If a student HAS blocked release of directory information,
you cannot release any information about that student.
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Ready for a
FERPA
quiz?
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Question 1
Instructors can leave exams, papers, assignments,
etc. outside their office for students to pick up.
False
It is a FERPA violation to allow any student access to another student’s
personal information.
Personally identifiable materials
General rule:
should not be left in a public
place.
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Question 2
You can provide information to a parent who calls asking about their
son's/daughter's progress in your course (or any other course).
False
FERPA recognizes college students as adults, regardless of age.
Therefore, you cannot give a parent grades or any other non-directory
information.
General rule:
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Assume that the student is an adult who is
entitled to privacy, even from parents.
Students have the right to consent to the
release of their confidential information.
Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Question 3
You get a frantic phone call from someone who says that he is a
student's father and must get in touch with his son because of a family
emergency. You say you cannot provide him with any information.
True
For the safety of the student you cannot tell another person where a
student is.
General rule:
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In an emergency situation, direct the caller
to the Office of Public Safety:
304-696-HELP
Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Question 4
A person comes to your office with a signed letter giving consent to
release a student’s transcript . You should give the transcript to this
person.
False
All transcripts and record information are released through the Office
of the Registrar.
Students can access their unofficial records
online and can obtain official transcripts from
General rule: the Registrar.
Do not ever give any student records to a
third party.
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Question 5
An unauthorized person retrieves information from a computer screen
that was left unattended. Under FERPA, the institution and the person
whose computer was left unattended are responsible.
True
Information on a computer screen should be treated the same as
printed material.
General
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No information should be left accessible or
unattended, including computer displays. It is best
rule: to log off if you leave your work area for more than
a few minutes. Also a password-protected screen
saver with a 5-minute or less activation time is a
good idea.
Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Question 6
The local police call to say that they are trying to determine whether a
particular student attended your class on a specific day. Since they are
in the middle of an investigation, you should give them this information.
False
You should direct the police to the Office of the Registrar.
General
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Information about whether or not a student was
enrolled in a particular semester should be obtained
rule: through the Registrar's Office. A subpoena may be
required for additional information. Subpoenas for
student education records should be directed to the
Registrar's Office.
Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Question 7
You receive a call from a recruiting firm asking for names and addresses
of students with a GPA of 3.00 or better. They say they have good job
information for these students. You should help these students by giving
out this information.
False
Although we all want to help students to get good jobs, this caller
should be directed to the Registrar's Office to determine what
information is appropriate to provide.
General rule:
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Do not give out student grade point averages to anyone without
the prior written consent of the student(s). In this case you
would forward the request to the Registrar's Office. ALL outside
requests for any student information must be referred to the
Registrar's Office. You could also direct the recruiting firm to
Career Services.
Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Question 8
When you take attendance in your class, you should NOT pass around a
sign up sheet for students to write down their names and ID numbers.
True
There is no easy way to take attendance, but passing around a signup
sheet is a FERPA violation.
General rule:
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You should never link the name of a student
with that student's ID number in any public
way or circulate a printed class list with
student names and ID numbers or grades.
Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Question 9
A person who identifies himself as a private investigator comes to your
office. He has a legal- looking document that is signed by your student.
The document authorizes you to give him information about your
student who is being considered for a job. You can provide the
information.
False
Even though the private investigator says the form is signed by the
student, you should not give the person any information about the
student. You should not even acknowledge that you know the student.
General rule:Always refer the person asking about a student
to the Office of the Registrar.
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Question
An instructor contacts a faculty advisor about a student who is falling
behind and in danger of failing. This contact leads to a discussion of the
student’s past performance and how best to advise the student. This
discussion is appropriate.
True
In general, if there is a “need to know,” or if the discussion relates to a
legitimate university issue, the discussion is appropriate.
General rule:
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It would not be acceptable to look for
information about a student to satisfy curiosity
or for purposes that are unrelated to the
institution’s educational mission.
Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
Last question:
Is there any
situation in which
FERPA does not
apply?
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
For campus safety:
If an educational agency or institution determines that
there is an articulable and significant threat to the
health or safety of a student or other individual, it
may disclose the information to any person, including
parents, whose knowledge of the information is
necessary to protect the health or safety of the
student or other individuals.
(Amendment, December 2008).
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
FERPA basics to
remember…
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
FERPA review…
Student educational records are confidential and may not
be released without the written consent of the student. As
an employee of the college, you have a responsibility to
protect the records in your possession.
Never discuss a student’s academic performance in any
public way.
Your access to student information is only for legitimate use
in your capacity as a Marshall University instructor.
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016
FERPA Introduction
For the official Marshall
University statement on
FERPA see:
http://www.marshall.edu/wpmu/disclosures/ferpa
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Marshall University Graduate College
March 21, 2016