What faculty & staff need to know

FERPA (The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act), sets forth requirements regarding the privacy of student records and affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. FERPA applies to those institutions that receive funding from the Department of Education and guarantees students three primary rights:  to inspect and review their education records; to seek to amend education records; and to exercise some control over the disclosure of information from those education records.

Education records are those records which are directly related to a student and maintained by Northern Arizona University or by a person or authorized agent acting for Northern Arizona University, which include any information or data recorded in any medium, including, but not limited to handwriting, print, tapes, film, microfilm, and microfiche.

How does FERPA affect me as a faculty or staff member?

If the student has not restricted access to “directory” (or public) information, you may release the following:

  • Name
  • Address (local and permanent)
  • University E-mail address
  • Telephone number
  • Major field of study
  • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
  • Weight and height of members of athletic teams
  • Dates of attendance (enrollment verification)
  • Enrollment status (undergraduate or graduate, freshman, etc., full-time or part-time)
  • Degrees, honors, and awards received
  • Institution most recently previously attended

Departments may not release non-directory or personally identifiable information about a student to a third party (parents included) without a FERPA release on the student’s account. Parents of undergraduate students may also access student information through The Lumberjack Family Hub. For technical assistance, please contact support@campusesp.com.

You may determine if there is a FERPA release on file through Salesforce by:

  • logging in;
  • searching for the student;
  • viewing the section titled “FERPA and release of information authorized”
  • A green check mark will indicate a FERPA release on file as either RA6 (all records may be discussed with the individual) or RA6 Com (only information approved by the student in The Lumberjack Family Hub may be released)
  • A red check mark indicates a block on the release of student information. You may find more details and instructions in the User Guide.

You may determine if there is a FERPA release on file through PeopleSoft by:

  • logging in;
  • navigating to “Manage Service Indicators” (with proper security access);
  • searching for the student;
  • viewing the service indicator code (RA6) and the “Reason Description”
  • The reason description will indicate a FERPA release on file as Registrar’s Office (all records may be discussed with the individual) or FERPA data exists in Campus ESP (only information approved by the student in The Lumberjack Family Hub may be released)
  • You may access The Lumberjack Family Hub by clicking on the RA6 link and then the link in the description.
  • If there is no RA6 service indicator then the student has not approved the release of their information.
  • You may find more details and instructions in the User Guide.

Do Not Release Without the Student’s Written Authorization (*Can be found in The Lumberjack Family Hub):

  • Student ID number
  • Student ID Photo
  • Grades*/Exam Scores
  • Grade Point Average*
  • Social Security Number
  • Parent Address/Phone
  • Detail of Registration Information (i.e., courses, times)*
  • Race, Ethnicity, or Nationality
  • Gender
  • Total Credits*
  • Number of Credits Enrolled in a term
  • Emergency Contact

The public posting of grades either by the student’s name, student ID number, or social security number without the student’s written permission is a violation of FERPA. This includes the posting of grades to a class/institutional website and applies to any public posting of grades in hallways and in departmental offices for all students including those taking distance education courses. This includes leaving graded materials in hallways!

If an instructor wants to post grades, then a system needs to be put in place that ensures FERPA requirements are met. The instructor may also obtain the student’s written permission or use code words or randomly assigned numbers that only the instructor and individual student know.

Notification of grades via e-mail is in violation of FERPA! There is no guarantee of confidentiality on the Internet. The institution would be held responsible if an unauthorized third party gained access, in any manner, to a student’s education record through any electronic transmission method.

The student has a right to inspect and review any departmental or college records you maintain on him/her except for ‘sole possession records’. A sole possession record is a record you never share with anyone else and that is maintained solely by you. Sole possession records are not subject to FERPA.

FERPA considers Teaching Assistants to be an extension of the faculty member. Faculty members may even share their sole-possession records with their TAs. However, if other faculty and department members can inspect those notes, they are no longer sole possession and become education records. Students have the right to inspect and review those records.

More information can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.