FERPA

Confidentiality

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of education records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their education records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate and misleading data through informal and formal hearings.



Under federal and state law, student academic records are confidential. They are not available to anyone other than the student’s academic advisers. Records may be released to parents only if they can provide evidence (usually a redacted IRS 1040 tax return) that their child is a dependent for income tax purposes. Academic records may be discussed with potential employers only with the permission of the student. Additionally, instructors must secure written permission from students before discussing academic records and classroom performance with parents. Direct any further questions to Galen Clavio, associate dean of undergraduate studies, or Eliza Erxleben, director of student services.

It is both unlawful and unethical to discuss a student’s academic performance with people who do not need to know. However, keep in mind that student records, as well as any personal information a student shares with you, can be subject to subpoena. You should never mislead students into thinking you can guarantee the confidentiality of information they share with you. You do not have a confidential source privilege when working with students.