FERPA is The 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, also known as the Buckley Amendment, is a federal law (20 U.S.C. 1232g) that protects the privacy of a student’s educational record. FERPA applies to all educational institutions receiving funds from the United States Department of Education, from kindergarten through university level. This page is intended to collect information about FERPA for UWF constituents for their reference and convenience. |
http://uwf.edu/media/university-of-west-florida/offices/trustees/regulations/UWF-REG-3.017.pdf
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FERPA Information from the Dean of Students
FERPA and Student Records from the Office of the Registrar
FERPA U.S. Department of Education
FERPA Notes from NACUA - National Association of College and University Attorneys
FAQs
http://uwf.edu/offices/registrar/resources/ferpa-student-records--privacy/#d.en.86365
At the University of West Florida, the privacy of academic records is also protected by Florida Statute Section 1002.22 (2007). The U.S. Department of Education summarizes the rights afforded to students by FERPA as follows:
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An education record is any record directly related to a student that is maintained by an educational agency or institution, or by a party acting for the agency or institution. Examples of an academic record include, but are not limited to:
Academic records do not include:
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If a student is attending a postsecondary institution - at any age - the rights under FERPA have transferred to the student. However, in a situation where a student is enrolled in both a high school and a postsecondary institution, the two schools may exchange information on that student. If the student is under 18, the parents still retain the rights under FERPA at the high school and may inspect and review any records sent by the postsecondary institution to the high school. Additionally, the postsecondary institution may disclose personally identifiable information from the student’s education records to the parents, without the consent of the eligible student, if the student is a dependent for tax purposes under the IRS rules. |
Please see the Office of the Registrar FERPA site for details. |
Yes. Under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), you have the right to withhold disclosure of the information listed below. The following items are designated as "Directory Information" and may be released by this University to non-institutional persons or organizations:
Your request to withhold directory information will be honored. The University will not assume responsibility to contact you for subsequent permission for release of these items. The University assumes no liability for honoring your request that such information be withheld. |
Yes. If you have indicated Privacy in the Contact and Privacy Information app in MyUWF, we cannot print your name in the program. You will need to uncheck that box and save very early in the semester of your graduation to ensure that your name will be printed.
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If you believe your FERPA rights have been violated, please contact either Student Affairs, the Office of the Registrar or the Office of the General Counsel for assistance. |
Division of Academic Affairs Collection and Use of Social Security Numbers
FERPA Frequently Asked Questions - FERPA for Parents and Eligible Students - Family Policy Compliance Office - US Department of Education
No. The UWF student roster contains the students' photos and IDs. |
This is only acceptable if the grades are associated with a randomly generated numeric identifier known and available only to you and the student; this list must not be arranged by alphabetic order. Never post the list using Social Security numbers or UWF IDs. |
Statements made by a person making a recommendation that are made from that person's personal observation or knowledge do not require a written release from the student. However, if personally identifiable information obtained from a student's educational record is included in the letter of recommendation (grades, GPA, etc.), the writer - whether a faculty member or department employee - is required to obtain a signed release from the student which (1) specifies the records that may be disclosed, (2) states the purpose of the disclosure, and (3) identifies the party or class of parties to whom the disclosure can be made. If this letter of recommendation is kept on file by the person writing it, it would be part of the student's educational record, and the student has the right to read it unless he or she has waived that right to access. Sample student release - I give permission to Prof. Smith to write a letter of recommendation to: Allstate Insurance 324 Wilkins Drive Atlanta, GA 33011 Prof Smith has my permission to include my GPA and grades. I waive (or do not waive) my right to review a copy of this letter at any time in the future. Signature/Date |
Please see the Office of the Registrar FERPA site for details. |
You need the information to fulfill a specific professional responsibility. Please contact the Office of the Registrar if you have any questions. |
The answer is perhaps. It would be a FERPA violation to include information about any student who has directed the university not to release his/her information. Additionally, without advance written consent, it would be a violation to disclose grades or performance indicators for any student. If you obtain written permission from each student, it would be permissible to include the information. The department would need to retain the written permission as documentation about the release. |
All requests for student information, whether by subpoena, court order or authorization, should be sent to the Office of the Registrar for review and processing. If the request calls for more information than is available directly from the Office of the Registrar, those materials will be gathered together under the direction of the Office of General Counsel and submitted as a package in response to the request. Do not be intimidated by a badge. Refer all inquiries to the Office of the Registrar. |
Yes. FERPA permits the disclosure of information from student educational records "to appropriate parties in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals." For example, if a student sends an email to his resident assistant disclosing that he has just been diagnosed with a highly contagious disease such as measles, the institution could alert the student's roommate, and perhaps others with whom the student has come in close contact, to urge them to seek appropriate testing and medical care. Safety concerns warranting disclosure could include a student's suicidal statements or ideations, unusually erratic and angry behaviors, or similar conduct that others would reasonably see as posing a risk of serious harm to the student and to others. This exception does not authorize "broadcast" disclosures, but a limited disclosure to a limited number of people, made in good-faith, in light of the facts available at the time. Such disclosure is highly unlikely to be deemed a violation of FERPA, even if the perceived emergency later turns out not to have been one. In general and when reasonably possible, the initial disclosure should be made to professionals trained to evaluate and handle such emergencies, such as campus mental health or law enforcement personnel, who can then determine whether further and broader disclosures are appropriate. |
The Federal Family Policy Compliance Office reviews and investigates complaints of violations of FERPA. If the Secretary of Education finds that an institution has failed to comply with FERPA and determines that compliance cannot be secured by any means, he/she can, among other options, direct that no federal funds under his or her administrative control (financial aid, education grants, etc.) be made available to that institution. |
FERPA Frequently Asked Questions - FERPA for School Officials - Family Policy Compliance Office - US Department of Education