Part-Time/Adjunct Faculty Handbook

FERPA - The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

WHAT IS FERPA?

• Commonly known as the Buckley Amendment

• FERPA applies to each educational agency or institution which receives funds under any program administered by the Secretary of Education.

• Act is enforced by the Department of Education and violations can result in withdrawal of federal funds.

• The rights in FERPA must be guaranteed, but educational institutions can go beyond in extending other rights.

• The right to inspect and review education records.

• The right to seek to amend education records.

• The right to have some control over the disclosure of information from education records.

• Don’t post grades with identifiable information.

• Don’t leave papers or exams with identifiable information in public places.

• Don’t release student’s course schedule or location on campus.

• Don’t release information on student progress without written consent of student.

• Don’t leave messages for student at workplace, home, or answering machine concerning class information.

• FERPA for a letter of reference
  Students should fill out and sign this form at the time they ask for a letter of recommendation. This form is not required when you are sending a recommendation to a Miami University office, such as Financial Aid. These forms are to be used when recommending a student to any non-Miami University entity

• General FERPA form
  This form is used for granting permission to speak with a parent about a student. This form must be completed and signed by the student, irrespective of their age. If they are enrolled in higher education, they are covered by this provision. If the student is present at the time the parent(s) make the request, he/she may give oral permission for you to share their academic data, though asking them to sign the short form is always a good idea.