Okay, so, like, this FERPA Handbook: A Staff Guide to Student Privacy thing? family educational rights privacy . managed it security services provider Its basically your bible when it comes to dealing with student info.
Think of it this way: FERPA, thats the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Its a federal law, okay? Its all about protecting student privacy, which, yeah, makes sense. Students have a right to their education records being kept, you know, confidential.
This handbook, though, its not just some dry legal document. Its supposed to be your go-to guide. It explains, in (hopefully) plain English, what you can and cannot do with student information. What kind of information are we talkin about? Grades, transcripts, disciplinary records, even contact information sometimes!
And its not just about, like, actively sharing info with, say, a random person calling on the phone asking for a students GPA. (Dont do that, ever!) Its also about being careful with how you handle these records in the office, on your computer, even in casual conversations!
The handbook will probably walk you through common scenarios. Like, what if a parent calls asking for their sons grades, but the son is over 18? (Big FERPA violation if you just spill the tea!). Or what if a student needs a copy of their transcript sent to another college? Itll tell you the right way to handle it.
Basically, read this thing! Its important.