9-1 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act FERPA
Federal law places strict limitations on colleges and universities' ability to release information on students without the student’s written approval. This law, known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.c 1232g; 34CFR Part 99), gives students attending institutions of higher education the ability to control access to their educational records. There is no minimum age exception to this regulation. Thus, students under eighteen (18) attending college have the same rights as those over age eighteen (18). Furthermore, parents, spouses, and significant others have no inherent right to access student educational records. However, a student may sign a release form at the Office of the Registrar, allowing a particular individual to access their records.
The purpose of FERPA is to protect the confidentiality of students’ educational records. Grades may not be publicly posted, and student papers or other assignments may not be made publicly available.
If verbal critiquing of student performance is integral to the course, this information should be specified in the course syllabus. If you are in a shared office environment as a Faculty member, you should be sensitive to maintaining compliance with FERPA regulations and protecting your students’ privacy. If you are having a discussion with a student regarding their grade in your course, on an exam, etc., you should be in a private setting. If the office/cubicle assigned to you does not permit a private setting, please hold the conversation in another office or conference room with more privacy.
Because maintaining students’ privacy is vitally important, FERPA training is required of all USU employees, including all Faculty members. This training is to be completed within the first thirty (30) days of employment as well as during each of the designated USU training years. More information is available from the United States Department of Education website pertaining to FERPA and from the University’s Registrar.