Confidentiality of Student Records and FERPA: Guidelines for Faculty and Staff

Do:

• Refer requests for student record information to the proper educational record custodian.
• Keep only those individual student records necessary for the fulfillment of your teaching or advising responsibilities.
• Keep any personal records relating to individual students separate from their educational records. Private notes of a professor/staff member concerning a student that are intended for the professor’s/staff member’s own use are not part of the student’s educational record.
• Ensure privacy when asking for student CWIDs. When on the telephone, be aware that the student may not be in a private environment.
• Ask for only the last four digits of the CWID on exams and other documents, if needed, to identify different students with the same name.
• Properly dispose of all papers and documents that contain the CWID.

Do Not:

• Include the CWID in the subject line of an email message; however, the CWID may be shown in the body of the email message and in any attached documents. In no case should a student's full Social Security Number be provided.
• Include the CWID on documents mailed by surface mail where the CWID is visible on the outer document or in a window envelope.
• Display student scores or grades publicly in association with the student name, CWID, social security number or other personal identifier. Scores or grades may be posted using a code known only to you and the student.
• Put papers or lab reports containing student names and grades in publicly accessible places. Students should not have access to the scores or grades of their classmates.
• Request information from the educational record custodian without a legitimate educational interest and the appropriate authority to do so.
• Share student educational record information with other faculty or staff members of the university unless their official responsibilities provide for a legitimate educational interest.
• Ask for the CWID on any document that will be viewed by anyone other than a university employee with an educational need to know. Examples:
  • On exams, homework assignments and attendance rosters—if other students may view these documents.
  • On questionnaires, surveys and other documents soliciting additional personal information.
  • On checks payable to the university or to the student.
  • On non-academic documents or an appointment sign-in sheet.
• Release personal information via phone, fax or email, as it is impossible to verify identity through these means.
  • Personal information may include, but is not limited to, CWID numbers, grades or GPAs. Always use official channels when handling sensitive or personally identifiable data.