Protecting Your Educational Records: FERPA
Your educational records are a matter that Penn State takes very seriously, and we want you to know that we're working constantly to ensure that they are protected. Staff will verify your identity each time they interact with you when changes to your educational record are involved, so make sure to use your Penn State email and user ID number when working with them. If you have questions about your educational records, it's important that you contact us yourself, as there are many things that we can discuss only with you. Let's look briefly at why that is.
What Is FERPA?
One of the many acronyms that you'll encounter during your time as a student is FERPA. This stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This legislation dictates how universities protect the privacy of the student records that you generate throughout your education. It also addresses who can access these records and what information can be disclosed. Any institution that receives federal funding must comply with FERPA, and since that applies to Penn State, all FERPA guidelines are followed here.
Your Rights as a Student
As a student, you have certain rights granted by FERPA. These rights include your ability to
- inspect and review your educational records,
- have some control over the disclosure of information from your educational record, and
- seek to amend incorrect educational records.
What Is an Educational Record?
Your educational record includes any information about you as a student that the University maintains in any format (paper, electronic, video).
Examples include
- grades,
- enrollment records,
- schedules,
- class lists,
- disciplinary records,
- Penn State ID and Social Security numbers,
- financial records, and
- payroll information.
What Is Not Part of the Educational Record?
While that list may seem all-inclusive, there are records that aren't covered by FERPA. These include
- records made by faculty and/or staff for their own reference,
- personal observations or experiences,
- Penn State law enforcement records,
- medical and mental health records,
- alumni records,
- peer-graded papers and exams, and
- employment records.
Who Can See Student Records?
In general, Penn State may only release nondirectory information with the student’s written permission, except in the following cases:
- to school officials and those with legitimate educational interest in seeing the record,
- to comply with a judicial order or subpoena,
- to appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency,
- to parents with proof of dependency, and
- to parents in cases of drug or alcohol violations when a student is under 21.
What Is a Legitimate Educational Interest?
You may have noticed the phrase “legitimate educational interest” in the previous examples. Let’s take a moment to talk about what that means. Legitimate educational interest refers to the need to know specific information by officials of an institution. Curiosity is not educational interest. School officials do not have a legitimate interest simply because they're employed by the University. In addition, school officials must be properly identified.