FERPA Guidelines for Faculty & Staff

It's Your Responsibility

As a faculty or staff member at Kansas State University, you have a legal obligation under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to protect the confidentiality of student education records in your possession. FERPA is a federal law enacted in 1974, also known as the Buckley Amendment, and applies to all institutions receiving federal education funding, including K-State.

Your position places you in a role of trust. You are a critical part of ensuring that student information is handled properly and in compliance with federal law and institutional policy.

• The Essence of FERPA

  FERPA is designed to safeguard the privacy of students' education records and personally identifiable information (PII). Unless classified as directory information, most student data is protected and cannot be disclosed without the student’s written consent.

  You must not:

  • Use a student’s University ID number in a public posting of grades or for any other publicly visible use.

  • Link a student’s name with their University ID number in any public setting.

  • Leave graded materials in a way that requires students to sort through others' work.

  • Circulate printed class rosters that include names, ID numbers, photos, or grades as an attendance sheet.

  • Discuss a student’s academic progress with anyone other than the student (including parents) without proper consent.

  • Share student schedules, enrollment lists, or contact information with individuals internal to K-Stte who do not have a legitimate educational interest or system access as well as anyone outside the university community.

  • Assist anyone in locating a student on campus unless you are authorized to do so as part of your official duties.

  • Access student records for any reason other than a legitimate educational interest.

• Educational Records

  An education record is any record directly related to a student and maintained by the university or a university official. This includes information in any form—paper, electronic, digital images, audio files, emails, etc.

  Examples of education records:

  • Grades and transcripts

  • Class schedules

  • Advising notes

  • Student conduct records

  Exceptions: Not all student-related records are considered education records under FERPA. The following are not considered education records:

  • Personal notes kept in the sole possession of the maker and not shared with others

  • K-State Police or law enforcement records used solely for law enforcement purposes

  • Employment records unrelated to student status

  • Medical and psychological treatment records

  • Alumni records created after the student has left the institution

• Directory Information at K-State

  FERPA allows institutions to define certain information as directory information, which may be disclosed without prior consent unless a student opts out. At K-State, this includes limited items such as listings in:

  • The University Directory

  • Commencement and Dean’s List publications

  • Graduation lists

  K-State restricts the release of directory information to university-related uses, legitimate educational purposes, or as required under the Solomon Amendment (military recruitment access). 

  Directory Information does NOT include:

  • Race or gender

  • Social Security Number (full or partial)

  • Grades or GPA

  • Country of citizenship

  • Religion

  • Student ID numbers (except in very limited, non-identifiable contexts)

  Students must be provided an opportunity to opt out and request that their directory information be suppressed from public release. Students can manage this preference via the Request to Add or Remove a Non-Disclosure Hold form.
  
  Important Note: A student’s decision to withhold directory information does not prevent access by university officials who have a demonstrated legitimate educational interest in the information.
  
  Directory Information

• Combined Courses and FERPA
  When combining sections of a course in K-State’s learning management system (Canvas), take extra caution. FERPA requires that students must not be able to view or access identifiable information about peers in sections they are not enrolled in, unless those sections meet together in the same physical or virtual space at the same time.
  
  Refer to FERPA and Merging Sections in CANVAS

• FERPA Training
  If you are a new employee (faculty, staff, student) with no access to KSIS or Navigate, you will need to take the FERPA training following this direct link to the CANVAS course:  https://k-state.instructure.com/enroll/DGHRYN
  
  Current employees with existing access to KSIS will be prompted via a CANVAS e-mail notification when their FERPA Training renewal is required. 
  
  Those with heightened PII access (full SSN/DOB) are required to do the training annually
  Everyone else is prompted in a bi-annual schedule based on when you completed your first training in CANVAS. 

By understanding and complying with FERPA, you help protect our students’ rights and ensure K-State maintains the highest standards of academic integrity and privacy. When in doubt—don’t release the information and consult with the Office of the Registrar.