FERPA - Tutorial 08

Basic Rules CONTINUED

Rule #4: School officials, including field supervisors for student teachers and student interns, must protect the privacy of educational records and not disclose personally identifiable information about a student or permit inspection of the student's records without his or her written consent. The student's written, signed, and dated consent must contain three elements:

Specify the records to be released. Examples: grades; notes based on observations; general assessment of performance of student in a class or in a field-based experience
Identify the party or class of parties to whom the records should be released. Examples: prospective employer, non-UW-Parkside school official, scholarship committee member
Indicate the reason for the release. Examples: as part of an application for employment, admission into a graduate program, application for a scholarship or grant

Note: A letter of reference written on behalf of a student by a cooperating teacher, supervisor or other person does NOT provide that person with the authorization to disclose educational records or to discuss the student's performance even if the letter welcomes telephone calls or other inquiries about the student.

You should forward all requests for private information to the Office of the Registrar.