TEN TIPS TO AVOID VIOLATING FERPA AND THE UNIVERSITY’S CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS POLICY

1. Review Policy on Confidentiality of Records for The University of Alabama available at http://registrar.ua.edu/policy_confidentiality.html.

2. Do not access and review records of a student unless you have a legitimate need to know to fulfill your teaching responsibilities. Then, do not disclose to anyone else unless also authorized.

3. You may release Directory Information to a third party without a student’s consent, UNLESS the student signed a Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information Form, which students have a right to do on an annual basis. You must check with the Office of Academic Records and University Registrar (348-4886) to determine if that student has requested that even directory information not be released. Directory information includes: name, address (local and permanent), e-mail address, telephone number, major field of study/degree program, full-time or part-time, class level, UA School or College, participation in officially-recognized activities and sports, dates of attendance, degrees earned and dates received, honors and awards received, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. It does not include gender, race, national origin, grades, SSN, CWID, information about disabilities or accommodations, etc.

4. Do not post grades by student’s name, SSN, or CWID. You may not disclose a student’s grade to anyone else except another school official with a legitimate educational interest, unless you have the student’s written consent.

5. Do not let one student see information about another student. You may let a student see his/her grades in a grade book, but cover up information about other students.

6. Avoid creating and maintaining “education records” that you share with others that are not essential to the performance of your teaching and grading responsibilities. (This includes nonessential e-mail communications, since those are currently viewed as “education records”)

7. If you are asked to write a letter of recommendation, you may write statements from your personal observation or knowledge. If, however, you include personally identifiable information from a student’s record (GPA, grades), then you must obtain a written consent from the student (unless you pull it from a resume the student provided to you).

8. You may disclose information obtained from a student’s records to a third person if you obtain a signed and dated written consent form. The written consent form should specify exactly the type of information or records that may be disclosed, the purpose for which the student is permitting the disclosure, and the person(s) to whom the disclosure may be made. If you disclose information to a third party with the student’s written consent, you must remind the third party that further disclosure is prohibited by FERPA.

9. Parents: A parent of a student generally is not authorized to obtain non-directory information from their child’s education records unless the student consents in writing OR the University has proof that the student was claimed as a dependent on current federal tax filings. See http://registrar.ua.edu/doc/FERPA_Release_Form_3.doc for consent and/or dependency forms.

10. Review Tips for Faculty and Staff at: http://registrar.ua.edu/tide_faculty_staff.html.