What is FERPA?
FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974; it is the federal law that requires colleges and universities to maintain the privacy of students' education records. FERPA guarantees students the right of access to the education records, the right to consent prior to the release of a record to a third party, the right to challenge information contained in their records, and the right to be notified of their privacy rights. This means that students must consent before a record is disclosed to the parents or legal guardians, unless they are a dependent of his/her parents for income tax purposes, prior consent to disclosure to parents or guardians is not required. This states that 'personal information shall only be transferred to a third party on the condition that such party will not permit any other party to have access to such information without the written consent of the student.'
Confidential information is not to be released. Confidential information consists of any academic information (grades, transcripts), current class schedules, disciplinary records, etc. We can verify directory information over the phone as long as the student has not asked that directory information be kept confidential. Directory information includes but is not limited to name, address, phone, dates of attendance, major and minor, degrees and awards received.
