FERPA: FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS & PRIVACY ACT
Brief Overview
FERPA protects a student’s educational information. At 18, those rights are transferred from the parents to the student.
As a writing tutor you are responsible for protecting student’s educational information. Read this information to help you clarify how to navigate your tutoring assignments within FERPA guidelines.
WATCH this basic introduction to FERPA:
FERPA identifies two types of student information : Directory & Non-Directory. The bottom line is you must be very careful with Non-Directory information. At SUNY New Paltz, Directory Information is identified as:
- Student’s name
- Student’s permanent address
- Student’s campus or local address
- Student’s telephone number
- Student’s e-mail address
- Student’s photograph/electronic image
- Student’s major field of study
- Student’s dates of attendance
- Student’s year in school
- Student’s degree(s) earned
- Student’s honors, awards, special recognitions
- Student’s participation in officially recognized college activities, events, and sports
- Student’s height and weight (sports only)
- Student’s most recent educational institution attended
The College may disclose any of these items without prior written consent of the student.Students may opt out of the release of this information by completing the directory information checklist under My.Privacy/Directory Settings in mynewpaltz.
Non-Directory Information like grades, progress, academic standing, a student’s mental /physical health, or any personal information is confidential and therefore MUST NOT BE FORMALLY SHARED with third parties outside your departmental unit or college UNLESS the student signs a waiver called: Authorization to Release Information form. Student information stored in electronic format must be secure and available only to those entitled to access that information. Non-Directory Information MUST NOT BE SHARED INFORMALLY with your family friends, or work colleagues who are not directly involved with the student.
More Information on FERPA & faculty guidelines at SUNY New Paltz can be found on page 14 of the Faculty Handbook
FERPA Guidelines for Tutors
Always keep accurate attendance records and progress notes on students. Only discuss student progress with your SWW instructor.
Students should never be discussed with anyone outside those directly involved with the student’s academics. When you are talking with a student, and someone outside that circle appears, ask the student directly if they are comfortable with the conversation about their progress.
Do not discuss students in a way that makes them identifiable in any format among instructors, TAs, or other tutors.
Be aware of your surroundings to avoid accidentally revealing student information. This also applies to online tutoring.
Do not interact with tutees over social media: do not “friend” or “follow” tutees or share any information about them within your circle. Do not even acknowledge tutees are under your tutorlage, and if a student asks to friend or follow you, respond by email with a reminder to the negative.
Do not correspond with a student’s parents, guardians or family members.
Do not divulge information you learn about students while performing your job
Do not release any information to anyone (including University staff members) about a student.
If in doubt, consult with your SWW instructor.
Consensual Relationships Policy
CLICK HERE to read the university’s policy on Consensual Relationships between Faculty & Students
Relationships between a faculty member and a student, or a staff member (such as a coach, adviser, college administrator, or employment supervisor) and a student, are considered professional relationships. These professional relationships carry an inherent power differential. Where such a power differential exists, it compromises the real or perceived freedom of the student’s ability to begin, alter or terminate a romantic or sexual relationship. Therefore, for faculty and staff, the initiation of or engagement in a romantic or sexual relationship with a student wherein a power differential exists is prohibited…..
