2. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
What is FERPA?
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act,
1974
A federal law that governs the
confidentiality of student
records.
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4. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
• Personal identifiers (birth date, address, phone number, student identification
number, etc.).
A student record is…
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Any information, either written or electronic, about a student
enrolled or previously enrolled at Marshall University.
This includes:
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.
• 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.
5. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
Under FERPA you cannot…
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• 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.
8. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
If the student has NOT restricted access to
directory information, you can release:
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NOTE: If a student HAS blocked release of directory information,
you cannot release any information about that student.
10. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
Instructors can leave exams, papers, assignments,
etc. outside their office for students to pick up.
Question 1
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Personally identifiable materials
should not be left in a public
place.
General rule:
False
It is a FERPA violation to allow any student access to another student’s
personal information.
11. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
You can provide information to a parent who calls asking about their
son's/daughter's progress in your course (or any other course).
Question 2
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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.
General rule:
False
FERPA recognizes college students as adults, regardless of age.
Therefore, you cannot give a parent grades or any other non-
directory information.
12. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
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.
Question 3
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In an emergency situation, direct the caller
to the Office of Public Safety:
304-696-HELP
General rule:
True
For the safety of the student you cannot tell another person where a
student is.
13. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
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.
Question 4
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Students can access their unofficial records online
and can obtain official transcripts from the
Registrar.
Do not ever give any student records to a third
party.
General rule:
False
All transcripts and record information are released through the Office
of the Registrar.
14. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
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.
Question 5
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No information should be left accessible or
unattended, including computer displays. It is best
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.
General rule:
True
Information on a computer screen should be treated the same as
printed material.
15. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
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.
Question 6
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Information about whether or not a student was
enrolled in a particular semester should be obtained
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.
General rule:
False
You should direct the police to the Office of the Registrar.
16. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
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.
Question 7
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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.
General rule:
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.
17. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
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.
Question 8
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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.
General rule:
True
There is no easy way to take attendance, but passing around a signup
sheet is a FERPA violation.
18. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
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.
Question 9
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Always refer the person asking about a
student to the Office of the Registrar.
General rule:
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.
19. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
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.
Question 10
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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.
General rule:
True
In general, if there is a “need to know,” or if the discussion relates to a
legitimate university issue, the discussion is appropriate.
21. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
For campus safety:
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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).
23. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
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.
FERPA review…
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Your access to student information is only for legitimate use
in your capacity as a Marshall University instructor.
Never discuss a student’s academic performance in any
public way.
24. FERPA Introduction
Marshall University Graduate College July 31, 2013
For the official Marshall
University statement on
FERPA see:
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http://www.marshall.edu/wpmu/disclosures/ferpa
