Advisement Handbook - Confidentiality of Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 protects the privacy of education records, establishes the students' right to inspect their educational records, provides guidelines for correcting inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings, and permits students to file complaints with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA) concerning alleged failures of the institution to comply with this Act.

The following is defined as public information, unless the student has requested non-disclosure:

Student's name
Student identification numbers (PeopleSoft ID, NetID)
Birth date
School or college
Major field of study
Degree sought
Expected date of completion of degree requirements and graduation
Degrees and awards received
Dates of attendance
Full or part time enrollment status
The previous educational agency or institution attended
Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
Address and telephone number

Students may restrict the release of public information by making a request in writing to the Office of the Registrar.

All other information about a student ( e.g. grades, courses registered for, class schedule ) is defined as private information and cannot be released except under certain prescribed conditions.

Social security number
Gender
Ethnic background
Grades
Courses taken
Schedule
Test scores
Advising records
Educational services received
Disciplinary actions
Student account information, including amounts due or paid
Photographs

Class rosters are to be released only within a class. Advisors are required under the law and under University policy to maintain the confidentiality of the records of the students they advise. These records may not be released to third parties without the express consent of the individual student. It should be noted that this prohibition regarding "third parties" extends to parents and employers both present and potential. Only when authorized by the student may the record be released.

Some Guidelines for Faculty ~

1. DO refer requests for information from the educational record of a student to the proper educational record custodian. When in doubt about the proper education record custodian, contact the Office of the Registrar or the University Privacy Oficer.

2. DO keep only those individual student records necessary for the fulfillment of your teaching and advising responsibilities. Private notes of a faculty member concerning a student and intended for the faculty member's own use are not part of the student's educational records.

3. DO keep any personal professional records relating to individual students separate from their educational records. Private records of instructional, supervisory, and administrative personnel and ancillary educational personnel are to be kept in the sole possession of the maker and are not to be accessible or revealed to any other person, except a substitute.

4. DO make sure to properly dispose of education records that do not need to be maintained.

5. DO NOT display student scores or grades publicly in association with names, Social Security Numbers, student identification numbers, or other personal identifiers. If scores or grades are posted, use some code known only to you and the individual student. In no case should the list be posted in alphabetic sequence by student name.

6. DO NOT put papers, graded exam books, or lab reports containing student names and grades in publicly accessible places. Students are not to have access to the scores and grades of others in class in ways that allow other students to be identified.

7. DO NOT request information from the educational record custodian without a legitimate educational interest and the appropriate authority to do so.

8. DO NOT share student educational record information, including grades or grade point averages, with other faculty or staff members of the University unless their official responsibilities identify their "legitimate educational interest" in that information for that student.

9. DO NOT share information from student educational records, including grades or grade point averages, with parents or others outside the institution, including in letters of recommendation, without written permission from the student.

10. WHEN IN DOUBT err on the side of caution and do not release student educational information. Contact the Office of the Registrar for guidance (University Registrar).

One exception to the prohibition on disclosure pertains to school officials with legitimate educational interests. Questions about FERPA can be directed to Jeff von Munkwitz-Smith, University Registrar, 486-3903, jvon@uconn.edu or to Rachel Krinsky Rudnich, University Privacy Officer, 486-5256, rachel.krinsky@uconn.edu.