The Basics
What year was the FERPA put into place?
1974
Records directly related to a student that are personally identifiable and are maintained by the institution or a party acting for the institution are called:
Education Records
Which agencies must comply with FERPA?
All education institutions and agencies (even K-12)
Notes that are made and kept by one individual and are not accessible to all are not subject to FERPA. These notes are called:
Sole Possession Notes (However, if you share them, they are no longer exempt and can be released if requested)
Which office do I contact if I mistakenly commit a violation?
Office of the Registrar at registration@barnesjewishcolllege.edu. Also, please contact us if you suspect someone else has committed a violation or you think a violation may occur.
Where can you find the GSON official FERPA policy?
It is located on the GSON Website under Student Consumer Information. Student rights under FERPA are also outlined in the Student Handbook.
What is FERPA an acronym for?
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Can colleges charge a fee for providing a copy of an education record that is requested?
Yes! Unless the imposition of a fee prevents the student from exercising their right to inspect their records. A fee cannot be charged for the search for or the retrieval of educational records.
Does student directory information have to be released to a third party?
No. Third party entities are not entitled even to directory information. Just because we can release it, does not mean we always should release it.
What happens if an institution is found with a FERPA violation?
The institution can lose their Title IV funding
Is there a way for students to designate someone with whom college officials can interact?
Yes. GSON allows students to designate releasees that can interact with college officials, by filling out the FERPA Release of Information Authorization Form.
The demonstrated "need to know" by school officials who act in a students' educational interest is known as:
Legitimate Educational Interest
FERPA compliance requires institutions to conduct regular student notifications and faculty/staff training how often?
Annually
The Solomon Amendment is a federal law that mandates educational institutions provide student information to which entities?
Military Recruiters - these requests should also be sent through the Registrar/Registration Department.
Who does a GSON student contact to inspect their educational record?
The Registrar. The Registrar will in turn coordinate with the necessary parties (i.e. IT, the Dean, Leadership, etc.) to respond to the request.
FERPA is sometimes referred to as __________, after its congressional author.
The Buckley Amendment (fun fact, he was also the first Republican to call for Nixon's resignation)
Information contained in an education record of a student "that would not generally be considered harmful" or an invasion of privacy if disclosed is called:
Directory Information
If a student's record is marked Confidential, can you still give out directory information?
No. If a student's record is marked confidential, they have filled out a FERPA form and selected "Yes" to preventing the release of their directory information.
Are postsecondary institutions required to provide information to military recruiters at their request?
Yes, but please send them our way...
GSON has how many days to establish an appointment/provide access so a student can review their official records?
45 days which is in alignment with the Federal requirement.
What does FERPA govern?
The release of records maintained by the College and access to those records
At what point does someone become an "eligible student" and protected under FERPA at GSON?
Once a student has been admitted to GSON and are in attendance for their first term, they become an eligible student. **Notes: applicants who are denied admission or who never attend are not covered under FERPA although much of their applicant data is protected and should not be disclosed.
If a student requests to withhold their directory information and marks their record as Confidential, what big publication would they be left out of at GSON?
The commencement booklet! Students marked as confidential who want to be identified in the commencement booklet must submit a new FERPA form with no Confidential/Privacy indicator.
Yes or No: Providing lists of students who are eligible for honors society membership or for awards consideration is a violation of FERPA.
NO. GSON employees who serve as the contact for an honor society or an awards committee CAN have access to do their job in reviewing eligible students. The practice at GSON is to not include specific GPAs with these student lists.
Can student records be automatically shared with anyone within BJC?
Absolutely not! Our connection with BJC does not automatically grant BJC officials rights to GSON student records.