Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

Information for Faculty

The Enrollment Services Office has FERPA release of information forms available for students who wish to give another person access to their records. Students should complete the form and submit it to the Enrollment Services Office where it will be recorded and then forwarded on to the appropriate department, person, or faculty on campus.

In order to avoid accidentally violating FERPA, you should not:

• Ever use any part of the student ID number or social security number in any public posting of grades or in the passing around of lists within the classroom.
• Ever link the name of a student with their student ID number or social security number in any public listing or within the classroom.
• Ever leave graded exams or papers for a student to pick up by sorting through the papers or files of all class members, even if the papers or exams are in sealed envelopes or file cabinet drawers.
• Ever discuss a student with anyone other than the student (including parents or guardians) without written consent from the student.
• Ever provide anyone outside the college with any student information.
• Ever provide anyone with a student's schedule or assistance with finding a student on campus. If it's an emergency, refer the person to the Campus Security Office.

FERPA relates to educational records that are maintained by faculty, staff and the administration. If you are asked to disclose information and have the written consent of the student, you are required to release information that goes into determining a student's grade for the course, including test scores, grades on assignments, papers and projects. You are NOT required to disclose the following:

• Attendance record if you do not take attendance and there is no record AND attendance is not part of a student's grade. You may choose to disclose your impressions of attendance in this case, but only if you have written permission to do so.
• You are not required to have conversations with individuals regarding a student's progress but you may choose to if you have written permission to do so.

Remember: It is best to have the student complete the FERPA release of information form available in the Enrollment Services Office.