COMPLIANCE CHATTER

Manager Series

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law that gives students the right to have their education records protected as private, and to make decisions regarding their records.

FERPA requires University faculty and staff to protect student education records and the information contained in those records.

In general, school officials can only share or discuss a student's education records with parents or others outside the University with a student's prior written consent.

It is important that managers and supervisors familiarize themselves with the rights and responsibilities of the UConn FERPA Policy, discuss it with their employees, and know what resources are available when questions arise.  

Students have the ability to provide consent for certain offices to discuss their records with a parent or other designee through the FERPA Designee Pin Page (FDPP). Using the FDPP, Students create a 4-digit pin for each FERPA designee and identify which information contained in a student’s education record can be discussed.

When a designee contacts a University office they will be asked to provide their name and the 4-digit pin. Name, pin, and the selected category of information must match what is listed on the FDPP in order for University staff to discuss information specific to a student's education record.

University officials, including staff and student workers, who work in an area that manages student education records can request "Viewer" access to the FERPA Designee Pin Page in order to confirm that the student provided consent to speak with a designee.

Email privacy@uconn.edu to request access. Supervisors must request access on behalf of student workers. The email must include the Viewer's:

• Name
• NetID
• UConn Email
• Department/Unit
• Status (employee or student worker)
• Date of Access Removal (for student workers)
• Need for access as part of their official duties
• Confirmation that the Viewer has completed FERPA Training

A Note About FERPA Training

Employees who request access to FDPP must complete FERPA Training for Everyone, available on HuskyCT. The training can be found under ‘Self Enroll Courses and Organizations’ towards the bottom of the homepage of Husky CT after logging in.

Managers and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that their employees who have FDPP access complete the required training, and are welcome to contact privacy@uconn.edu to confirm their employees completed FERPA Training for Everyone.

Please make sure the link has been updated to the new FDPP webpage URL (below).

1. Learn about FERPA at UConn, and contact privacy@uconn.edu if you have any questions.
2. Talk about UConn's FERPA Policy and its importance with your employees.
3. Require or recommend that your employees annually complete FERPA training.
4. Print and display the recent FERPA Compliance Chatter in your workspace, or forward it to your employees to encourage them to read it.

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