To all Faculty and Staff who access student records. Read the following and consider your responsibility regarding our students' right to privacy.
All faculty, adjunct faculty and staff that use, access, create or store student information are required under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) to protect our students' right to privacy. There have been numerous suits and issues raised on the question of students' records and privacy in recent history, so I would like to give you a few guidelines.
While most of you have the educational right to view and access academic history, student files and other student information, this access comes with the responsibility to protect those students' records and information. We must remember that grades are private information and only the student (and eligible parents) are allowed to view this information. Generally, students must give written permission to allow us to share grades with anyone who is not part of the student's educational interest.
Social Security and CSU student I.D. numbers are private information. If you post grades anywhere in public view, you must not use these numbers. Many faculty have students select numbers, or they assign random numbers to post grades. They should also be in a random order.
Graded papers should be given to students in class or left with administrative staff to keep in the department office for pick-up. Leaving papers outside your office for students to go through is not protecting our students' privacy.
As advisors, or administrative staff, many of you have access to transcripts (CSU and other schools), credit evaluations, high school and standardized exam records. Most of us share some of this information between departments using memorandums and e-mails. These are to be kept private as well. Keep all students' information from view when you are not working with them, whether on paper or on your computer screen. Students should not see private information of other students. Likewise, be careful what you write regarding students in memorandums and e-mails. Students have the right to review such educational records as part of their records.
Another important reminder is to think about what you place in your everyday trash. Any document that contains private personally identifiable information should not be placed in a regular trash container. Special "shred boxes" or other containers should be kept in your office or department to collect these documents until they can be properly collected and destroyed.
FERPA
Guidelines
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their educational records. They are:
1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The appropriate University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the University decides not to amend a record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's educational records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting school officials in performing legitimate tasks including assignments while working under any College Work Study (CWS) program agreement. A school official has a legitimate interest if the official needs to review an educational record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the University may disclose records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Charleston Southern University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
600 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
The University has designated certain information contained in the educational records of its students as directory information pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This information is not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Directory information at Charleston Southern University includes, but is not limited to:
- name, address, telephone listing
- e-mail address
- date and place of birth
- field(s) of study
- participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- weight and height of student-athletes
- dates of attendance, degrees and awards
- photographs
- most recent previous school attended
- full-time or part-time status
Directory information cannot include a student's social security number, student ID number, race/ethnicity or gender. Directory information may be disclosed by the University for any purpose considered legitimate without student consent. Students have the right, however, to refuse the disclosure of any or all of the information designated as directory information. Students refusing to have any or all of the designated directory information disclosed without consent must submit written notification to the Office of the Registrar. To properly enforce a refusal request, written notification should be filed no later than one week from the beginning of a term in which a student has enrolled. However, refusal notifications will be accepted, processed and enforced as soon as possible anytime they are received. Careful consideration should be given before any disclosure refusal is submitted. The University's enforcement of a refusal notification may have unexpected or undesirable ramifications.
