FERPA Basics & Definitions
Full name of the Act that sets forth requirements regarding the privacy of student records. Applies to K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions and governs the disclosure of education records maintained by the institution and access to these records. Any educational institution or educational agency that receives funds under any program administered by the U.S. Department of Education must uphold this law.
What is an The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974
This person must have access to student records
What is the student
This may include (institution decides): student's name, address, telephone number, email address, photograph, enrollment status (full time vs. part time), dates of attendance (not daily), date and place of birth, major field of study, grade level, weight/heigh of athletes, degrees, honors & awards, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and the most recent educational agency or institution attended
What is directory information
FERPA turns ___ years old in 2025.
What is 51
This is the answer to whether you can release information in the following scenario. A frantic woman approaches you in person saying that her daughter is 9 months pregnant and on medication and that she hasn’t seen her in 6 days and needs you to give her the student’s schedule so the mother can find her.
What is No
This record is directly related to a student, maintained by an educational agency or institution, for anyone attending your institution, regardless of age.
What is an educational record.
Each institution is required to annually notify students in attendance of their FERPA rights through this process.
What is annual notification
This term is considered per FERPA to be an articulable and significant threat to student or other individuals. Per this you may release to local law enforcement, parents, outside entities if release is related to safety. Must record release in student records to whom was information released, what was released, and why.
What is Health and Safety Emergency
This individual is a member of an institution acting in a student’s educational interest, limits on “need to know”
What is a school official
This letter is the correct response to the following scenario. You work in the Registrar's Office and receive a call from an instructor who says that says that an international student, living off campus, emailed her earlier this morning thanking her for teaching her and giving her the impression that she was going to complete suicide. She wants you to call the police. How should you respond? A. Tell her you want to help, but you can’t release information she gave to an instructor in confidence. B. Refer the call to your supervisor to work with campus public safety or the local police to check on her. C. Since she is an international student, she is not covered by FERPA, so you can refer her situation directly to the local police.
What is B
A student's decision not to have their directory information released is one of the rights guaranteed to them under FERPA, Yes or No?
Yes. Your student information system should have a way to acknowledge and display that choice (e.g., Non-disclosure/Opt-Out/No release of direction information/ Confidentiality hold)
Social Security Number, citizenship, gender, ethnicity, religious preference, grades, GPA, and daily class schedule must not be included in this.
What is Directory Information
These records may be released regarding the outcome of this kind of hearing to victim of the crime. These records are not sole possession records and therefore are subject to FERPA. May release information to institution where student seeks to enroll or has enrolled. May release if related to Health and Safety Emergency
What are disciplinary records from a disciplinary hearing
The following relate to this term in FERPA: To comply with this request, you must make a reasonable attempt to notify student (usually considered 10 working days); for Federal Grand Jury versions of these, you do not notify! Must only respond to from court with jurisdiction or to a federal district court, and student may “quash” this.
What is a subpoena and/or a judicial order
This is the letter associated with the correct response to the following scenario. You work on the front line for financial aid and an advisor from your campus TRiO program wants you to provide her with information on a student’s financial aid status. Should you provide her with this information? A. No, if she had a right to know this information, she would have been given access in your computer system. B. Yes, she works at your school and can know this information. C. No, not without a release from the student.
What is A
This FERPA concept applies to all students attending an institution of higher end receiving federal Title IV funds, regardless of age, students for whom records are maintained, regardless of method, parents have this until a student turns 18 or enrolls at an institution of higher education receiving Title IV funding, and non-deceased students
What is "who has FERPA rights"
Under no circumstance can you use any or all of this to identify a student and provide information to the requestor, even to the student.
What is a Social Security Number
May disclose personally identifiable information to this category of individuals such as contractor, consultants, volunteers, other party doing work normally done by the institution. Data belongs to the student and must always be in the custody of the institution. They must be trained in FERPA and told not to redisclose. Notice of student record sharing to this category of individuals must be in Annual FERPA notice.
What is/who are third parties
You may release to these individuals when you have a student’s written permission, in connection with a health or safety emergency, if student is under 21 and violates law or school policy related to alcohol or a controlled substance and/or if student is dependent for tax purposes.
What is/who are parents
This is the letter associated with the correct response to the following scenario. You are opening the mail and come across a form from the faculty advisor to the campus Table Tennis Club who wants you to provide the GPA’s and enrollment for the team to be able to compete in an upcoming tournament. The form will be given to the National Table Tennis Association. Can you complete this form for him? A. No, because the students did not provide a written release. B. Yes, since he works for the school and is the advisor. C. Yes, but only by providing the enrollment levels and not the individual GPA’s.
What is C
Questions you should ask before taking this action are: Is the requested item an educational record, for a student; Is a signature required?; Must vs. May I release?; Do I have to release?; Is this a School Official that provides a service to institution?; Does the requestor have a Need to know?: Is this job-related?, Is this Directory Information? Is there an Opt-Out in place?, what are the Institutional policies and procedures?
What is releasing student data
Law enforcement records, treatment/medical records (shared only with those providing treatment), alumni records, employment records (unless job can only be filled by a student), sole possession records are example of these.
What is/what are not educational records
This act allows an institution to release data to each branch of the military once each term if the student is at least 17, registered in at least one credit. This can exclude Opt-Out students. Institutions may charge a fee. Federal/Military reps must have signed release to obtain student FERPA protected data (i.e. transcripts/bills)
What is the Solomon Act
This specific section of the FERPA act allows student information to be released to these individuals without the student’s written permission to: the student, school officials, post-secondary institutions –students seeks to enroll or is enrolled, authorized federal, state, or local educational agencies, In connection with fin aid -to determine award, organizations conducting studies for the institution, parents of dependent students, in compliance with a judicial order or subpoena, in connection with Health or Safety Emergency Directory, information when no Opt-Out.
What is 99.31
This is the letter associated with the correct response to the following scenario. You are an admin in the President’s Office and she walks out and asks you to obtain the transcript for the grandson of a very wealthy campus donor. You have access to print out an unofficial transcript, but what should you do? You have access to print out an unofficial transcript, but what should you do?? A. Print out the transcript since it is the president who is asking. B. Tell her that you cannot provide that to her for the grandfather without written permission from the student. C. Contact the student and ask if it is ok.
What is B