The start of a new term is an excellent time to remind all faculty and staff of the importance of FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It is incumbent upon all employees of the university to protect student information. To that end, please be certain to:
- Protect data, reports and rosters containing student information. Do not share reports with others. Do not assume the storage of such information in the cloud or on a thumb drive is safe. Encrypt or password protect all electronic data, reports and rosters. Lock paper data, reports and rosters in a secure place.
- Do not post grades in public spaces, including in classrooms or on office doors.
- Do not speak with parents or others about specific student information such as attendance, assignments, exams, quizzes, tests or grades without written authorization from the student, or authorization on file with the college/school office.
- Request written authorization from students prior to writing letters of recommendation that reference specific course information, grades, class schedules, field placement and internship experiences, etc.
- Call the Office of the Registrar or the Office of General Counsel for any questions you may have.
The university’s FERPA policy is available online.