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Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Before Discussing A Student's Record...

Before discussing details of a student's records, Boise State staff must take care to either:

bullet Verify that they are talking directly to the student
bullet Share information with others only as it is permitted by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

What Is FERPA?

The Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (also known as the Buckley Amendment) is a federal law that limits the amount of information that can be released about students to people outside the University without students’ specific written permission.  To comply with FERPA, follow the guidelines that are practiced at Boise State University.  See the Registrar forms page for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Confidentiality Statement.

When Communicating with Students About their Records

When talking to students about their records, Boise State staff must make a reasonable attempt to verify that students are who they claim to be.  This applies to in-person, phone and e-mail exchanges.  An exception exists for inquiries received from a Boise State University e-mail account.

bullet In-person:  Before divulging information about a student's record, staff should ask for photo ID from that student.  If the student does not have photo ID, staff should ask the student for at least one of the following:  Student ID, SSN, birth date, phone number, or address.  Staff who remain unsure about a student's identify should ask for answers to a combination of the above.
 
bullet Boise State University E-mail:  Since students must use their usernames and passwords to access their Boise State University student e-mail accounts, Boise State University student e-mail is considered "secure" by the University.  Staff can assume that inquiries received from a student's Boise State University e-mail account are from the student.  No further verification is needed.
 
bullet Other E-mail or Phone:  Before divulging information about a student's record, staff should ask the student for one of the following:  Student ID, SSN, birth date, phone number, or address.  Staff who remain unsure about a student's identify should ask for answers to a combination of the above.

When Communicating to Boise State Staff about Student Records

Boise State staff can share information with another university employee on a "need-to-know" basis.  Staff should verify that the person is indeed a Boise State employee and provide the requested information once an appropriate need for the information has been given.

When Communicating to People Outside the University About Student Records

When talking to people outside the University about a Boise State student's record, the maximum information that can be released is:

bullet Dates of attendance
bullet Full-time/Part-time status (based on 12 credit hours)
bullet Mailing address and telephone number
bullet E-mail address
bullet Class standing (freshman, sophomore, etc.)
bullet Major and minor plans
bullet Degree(s) earned and date degree was earned
bullet Date of birth

However, if a student has requested PRIVACY (as indicated by the FERPA blind appearing on the PeopleSoft Bio-demo panel), staff may release nothing about this student without their specific written permission or subpoena.  To request privacy, students need to complete the Privacy Request form located at:  http://registrar.boisestate.edu/forms.html.

Regardless of whether a student indicates Privacy, staff may not release the following information to anyone outside the University without the student's specific written permission or a subpoena (this includes parents, spouses, the police, even Campus police, the Armed Services, etc.)

bullet Courses students have taken
bullet Location of courses they are currently enrolled in
bullet Grades and GPA's
bullet Parent's name and address
bullet Student number or social security number
bullet Gender
bullet Credit hours earned
bullet Probation/Dismissal status
bullet Previous institutions attended
bullet Financial aid or veteran's status
bullet ACT or SAT test results

Last reviewed 08/27/2007

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