William & Mary FERPA Tutorial

Introduction

This tutorial is a learning tool designed to provide William & Mary employees with a better understanding of the federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to:

Describe the aspects of an education record
Distinguish which parties are permitted access to education records
Understand your role in protecting the privacy of education records

Once you have finished the tutorial, you must complete a Qualtrics form to record that you have read and understand the content of this tutorial.

The Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is designed to:

Protect the privacy and accuracy of student education records
Provide guidance for using and releasing the records

FERPA applies to all:

Institutions that receive Department of Education funds
Currently and formerly enrolled students, regardless of their age

Keywords Used in this Training

FERPA	Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law that governs access to and release of education records.
Education Record	Files, documents and materials that are: Directly related to a student Personally identifiable to the student Maintained by the institution
Directory Information	Student information that is generally not considered an invasion of privacy if made publicly available.
Legitimate Educational Interest	FERPA provision that allows a school official to review a student's education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities for the university.

Additional resources:

Continue to the next section: Education Records

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