F
FALSE
What does the acronym FERPA stand for?
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act
True or False: FERPA does not apply to Post-Secondary Schools.
False!
FERPA applies to all schools that receive funding from the Federal Government.
How often must a school/organization notify parents/guardians of FERPA?
Annually.
Parents/guardians and eligible students must be notified of FERPA protections every year.
True or False: FERPA exists solely to protect students' information.
False.
While FERPA does protect sensitive information, it also allows for other items such as amendment requests and limited viewer control.
Name two entities that can obtain student records without former permission from the party in question
- Legal entities (Child Protective Services, Subpoenas, etc).
- Educational entities (Post-secondary schools, grade schools, etc).
- Medical entities (in case of emergency, etc.)
All must have a legitimate reason for obtaining the records, and must do so in writing.
True or False: Educational agencies may choose to charge for records release
FALSE.
Access to educational records cannot be denied to qualifying parties, nor can they be charged for the acquisition.
What is directory information under FERPA?
Basic information like Name and address that a School can share
At what age does a student qualify for protection under FERPA?
Trick question!
There is no designated age. As long as a student is enrolled in a federally funded program, they are protected.
Why do schools keep records for so long?
A. To make life difficult.
B. It is the law.
C. To allow for schools to determine the best course of action for a student, and remain available when those documents are needed in the future.
B and/or C!
While it is the law, it's helpful to determine a student's needs. Additionally, the information may deem useful at some point within the student's life.
When was FERPA ENACTED?
A. 1967
B. 1974
C. 1981
D. 1991
B. 1974
What is an example of a record protected by FERPA?
How can parents or eligible students request to amend records?
They can ask the school in writing.
When does FERPA expire?
SCENARIO: You receive a frantic phone call from an individual who says that he is a student's father and must get in touch with her immediately because of a family emergency. Can you tell him when and where her next class is?
No. You may offer to send someone to the student's class to find her and ask her to call home.
Students who are enrolled or were enrolled at a qualifying institution
True or False: A parent/guardian or of-age/emancipated student may request to amend their educational records if they notice any inaccuracies
True!
Qualifying parties may submit a request for an amendment should they notice something inaccurate.
Does FERPA protect the records of a deceased individual?
Yes & No.
While we hope this is never the case, records of an of-age student (18+) are not protected under FERPA.
Minor students remain protected.
What President signed FERPA into Law?
President Gerald Ford.
The only way a parent can legally access non-directory records without a student’s written "FERPA Waiver" is by proving this tax status.
Financial Dependence- Under FERPA, parents of a college student (18+ or post-secondary) may access their child's education records—including grades and financial records—without the student's consent if the student is claimed as a dependent on the parent's most recent IRS tax return.
Which federal agency enforces FERPA?
The Department of Education
If a school violates FERPA, what could happen?
A. The Government discontinues funding to the school
B. The Government closes the school
C. The Government revokes accredidation
A. The Federal Government discontinues funding to the school
True or False: FERPA applies to international/foreign exchange students.
True!
FERPA does not differentiate between foreign students and U.S. Citizens. This applies to both Visa types (F1 & J1) regardless of Tax Payer status.
How long does a school have to maintain records?
This depends on the documents in question, but many items must be kept forever.
SCENARIO: A Professor walks up to your check-in table and asks for the names and GPAs of the "top 5 students" in your group because they want to invite them to a special honors research project. Do you give them the list?
No.
Even though the Professor is a university employee, they do not have a "legitimate educational interest" in your specific group's records unless those students are currently enrolled in that Professor's class.