FERPA Quiz

Question 1: You receive a call from a recruiting firm asking for names and addresses of students with a grade point average of 3.0 or better. They say they have good job information for these students. Can you help these students get jobs by giving out this information?

Question 2: Education information on a current student may be released to prospective employers upon request.

Question 3: An academic department is preparing a mailing to departmental students about a critical academic deadline. Should the mailing list include the name and address of a student who has invoked the Privacy Act (filed an Exclusion of Directory Information Form)?

Question 4: A recognized student organization asks a department for a list of student names and addresses in order to send out an informational mailing. Should the department provide the information?

Question 5: Grades may be posted for students if only the last 4 numbers of the social security number or WIU ID Number are used as identification of the students.

Question 6: Access to a student's SSN or WIU ID number is authorization for unrestricted use of a student's data.

Question 7: You get a frantic phone call from an individual who says that he is a student's father and must get in touch with her immediately because of a family emergency. Can you tell him when and where her next class is today?

Question 8: Only paper files on a student are considered education records.

Question 9:You leave your desk for lunch. While you are gone a student uses your computer to access another student's information. Are you and WIU responsible for this violation under FERPA?

Question 10:Your department chair asks for a list of names and addresses for students who are enrolled in a specific course in the department. The addresses will be used to mail a survey about the quality of the course. Results of the survey will be used to improve the course. Is this an appropriate use of student records?

Question 11:According to FERPA, can staff of the colleges use confidential, individual sign-in sheets with social security numbers or WIU ID numbers to keep track of guests during a high traffic event or weekend?

Question 12:Access to student information is a right of every WIU employee.

Question 13: You receive a call from the parent of a registered student who had invoked the Privacy Act. The parent wants to know if the student is registered for the current semester. Should you release this information?

Question 14: FERPA rights cease after a student has graduated from WIU.

Question 15: You enter an office in an academic building on campus. Inside the office are several boxes of graded papers and portfolios, but no faculty or staff are present. There is a note on the box that says, "Papers and portfolios are graded. Take yours and have a great summer!" As you dig through the box, you notice the papers and portfolios have students names, WIU ID numbers, as well as a grade on them. You know this practice of leaving graded papers for student pick up is widespread on campus. Is this practice acceptable?

Question 16: You are facing an emergency situation where you fear the health and safety of people is in jeopardy if you do not release certain protected information to a third party. Can you exercise judgment and release the information?

Question 17: A student's parent calls to ask how his/her student is doing in a class. Can you give out this information without the consent of the student?