Student Records Privacy Policy for Faculty and Staff (FERPA) (policy)

Staff and faculty with access to student education records are legally responsible for protecting the privacy of the student by using information only for legitimate educational reasons to instruct, advise, or otherwise assist students.

FERPA also assures certain rights to students at the university regarding their education records. These rights do not transfer to parents, guardians, spouses or other family members without the specific written permission of the student.

Classes

You are responsible for protecting the education records you store about students enrolled in your classes. The fact that the student is registered for your class is non-directory information; thus you may not release a class list or even a single student's name to a third party.

Other non-directory information you might maintain about students in your class includes

  • class attendance records,
  • quizzes and exams grades,
  • homework, etc.

All of these records are considered education records, and must be protected. Appropriate avenues for storing education records about your class are Canvas or OneDrive.

Please note that education records should not be stored on personal accounts in the cloud, such as a personal Google Docs account, or an Apple iCloud account. Personal accounts are not compliant with UO's Student Record Policy.

See also: Unregistered Students in Classrooms and Canvas

Computers and Passwords

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your workstation or computer monitor. This includes the responsibility for all transactions that occur under your username and password, and for all information that is released about university students.

Do not leave your workstation or computer unattended while logged in to Banner or Web for Faculty. Do not give your password or Personal Access Code (PAC) to another employee or student. Violation of this regulation may revoke your access privileges.

Directory Information

Only those records defined as "Directory Information" may be released without the express written permission of the student. No other information contained in a student's educational records may be released to persons or organizations without the student's prior written approval.

FERPA Compliant Software

Study.net

Based on the vendor's statement that they collect only directory information, ISO affirms that there's no FERPA concern for the use of study.net. 

If you have questions regarding FERPA compliance for other software packages, please email Carolyn Vogt, carolynv@uoregon.edu  

Students with Restricted Directory Information

A student may restrict the release of all Directory Information.

Once the restriction form is processed, no information - including directory information - is to be released to anyone, including persons claiming to be the student, parents, relatives, friends, other students, or prospective employers, who may wish to contact the student or verify their status at the University.

Students who have restricted the release of Directory Information are required to present photo identification when they wish to discuss or make inquiries about their education record.

See also: Directory Information Restriction

Posting of Grades

Faculty and staff are responsible for protecting the identity of students and keeping student grades confidential. Grades or evaluations linked to personal identifiers (names, UO ID numbers, or social security numbers) may not be publicly disclosed without specific permission from the student. Graded papers, exams, quizzes and other assignments are considered part of the student's education record, and must be returned to the student in a manner designed to maintain confidentiality.

Without student permission, grades or evaluations may be posted, whether on office doors or on websites, only by using randomly generated codes or numbers.

Resources: https://registrar.uoregon.edu/privacy/faculty-staff

FERPA Compliant Applications – list of applications approved for faculty use under FERPA policy

Resources and Forms related to student records.

US Department of Education FERPA regulation

UO FERPA Quiz