Understanding FERPA

Under FERPA regulations, institutions can release directory information about a student, provided that the student has reasonable opportunity to prohibit, in writing, the disclosure of such information.

FERPA regulations define which items qualify as directory information; however, each institution must identify and make known which of those items it plans to publish or share as directory information. Campus Solutions provides examples of typical directory information in the FERPA_VW control tables. You must configure these examples to reflect your institution's directory information. Even though FERPA is named after a U.S. regulation, the feature is flexible and can be used to define privacy settings for any personal sensitive data.

Note: Not all information defined as potential FERPA directory information is controlled by the delivered FERPA functionality. You may need to expand or modify the delivered records and views if other information about students is subject to FERPA regulations or should be treated as confidential according to your institution's policy. For more information about your institution's or FERPA's definition of directory information, contact your institution's registrar's office. Other resources on FERPA directory information and other regulations include: The Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO).

Under FERPA, students can prohibit the release of directory data about themselves. With PeopleSoft FERPA functionality, students can restrict data, but they can also give you permission to release some or all of that restricted data for inclusion in specific internal publications.

Term

Definition

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) privacy shade icon (FERPA privacy shade)

When you apply FERPA control to restrict data for a student, the system attaches a FERPA window shade privacy button to that individual's records in your database.

Click the FERPA privacy button on a page about that individual to quickly determine the information that is legally releasable to others at your institution or to third-party vendors about that individual. You can also navigate directly to the FERPA Display inquiry pages for each type of information (biographical data, addresses, activities, and so on) to determine the same information.