FERPA for Faculty

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FERPA for Faculty and Staff


FERPA Basic Rules

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), schools are restricted in the information they can release about their students.

  • As a faculty or staff member you have access to information only for legitimate use in the completion of your responsibilities as a University employee.
  • Student educational records are confidential and may generally not be released without written consent of the student.
  • You have a responsibility to protect educational records in your possession.
  • Student information should only be kept as long as it is valid and useful.

Student Rights

Students have a right to expect that information in their educational records (including computerized records) will be kept confidential and disclosed only with their permission or as allowed by law.  Examples:

  • DAWG Tag (85xxxxxxx) identification number
  • Social Security Number
  • Grades
  • Enrollment records
  • Schedules
  • Class List
  • Student employment and payroll information

Directory Information

Directory Information:  Items that can be given out to a third party upon request – or that can be publicly displayed in any type of University directory – without a student's written consent.  (The items just noted above do not fall into this category.)  The following are a few of these directory information items; for a full list, please refer to this FERPA policy.

  • Student Name
  • Student local address and phone number
  • Student home address and phone number
  • Student SIU e-mail address
  • Classification (Freshman, Sophomore, etc)
  • Major
  • Academic Unit

If a student wishes to restrict the release of their records, please refer them to the Records staff in the Registrar's Office (Student Services Building, room 0251) or to the forms page on the Registrar's website (https://registrar.siu.edu/office/forms.php).

Users who are authorized to access Banner online systems can identify students who have restricted their directory information.  In Banner Admin Pages, the word "Confidential" will appear in the upper left corner of most forms on any student that has requested to have their record marked as private.  In SalukiNet SSB, a warning diamond followed by the phrase "Confidential Information" will appear in the upper left margin.

If a faculty or staff is asked about such a student by someone who does not have a legitimate need-to-know, that faculty or staff should respond with something like "SIU does not have any information on that person."


Do's and Don'ts

  • Do use randomly assigned numbers or codes to display scores or grades.
  • Do keep any personal notes relating to individual students separate from educational records.
  • Do keep only those individual student records necessary for fulfillment of your responsibilities.
  • Do password-protect or encrypt any electronic files that contain individual student records.
  • Do refer information requests to the proper educational record custodian (or to the University FOIA Officer if the requestor is not a faculty or staff member). 
  • Do Not display students' scores, grades, Social Security Numbers, or Dawg Tag’s publicly (or post them on web sites).
  • Do Not send via unencrypted e-mail (or other unencrypted electronic messaging system) any more individual student information than is absolutely necessary to share with the recipient; instead, use a secure file transmission service such as MOVEit for sharing sensitive information.
  • Do Not put papers, projects, graded exams, or reports in publicly accessible places.
  • Do Not share student information, including grades or GPA’s, with other faculty or staff unless their responsibilities warrant a need-to-know.
  • Do Not provide anyone with lists of students enrolled in your classes for any commercial purpose (but instead refer them to the University FOIA Officer).
  • Do get familiar with the various University computer policies.

When In Doubt

When in doubt, do not release student educational information.  Contact the Registrar's Office for more information or refer to the Registrar's homepage.