FERPA Quiz Answers
1. Is it wrong for professors to leave exams, papers, etc. outside their office for students to pick
up?
Yes – That is a violation of the privacy rule because it is inappropriate for students to have
access to other students’ information.
General Rule: You cannot leave personally identifiable materials in a public place.
2. An unauthorized person retrieves information from a computer screen that was left
unattended. Under FERPA, is the institution responsible?
Yes – Information on a computer screen should be treated the same as printed reports.
General Rule: The medium in which the information is held is unimportant. No information
should be left accessible or unattended, including computer displays.
3. You have been granted access to certain educational records in accordance with your duties at
Augsburg University. Since this is information you are entitled to under FERPA can you
redisclose this information to any party?
No – FERPA states that you may not redisclose information without prior written consent.
General Rule: There are some occasions when this is allowable, such as release to organizations
conducting educational studies, accrediting agencies, and judicial orders. Check with the
Registrar before releasing information.
4. If a student’s parent calls asking how a student is doing in a class, can you give out that
information?
No – Even though the person inquiring may be the student’s parent, FERPA recognizes students
in secondary education as adults, regardless of age. Therefore, you cannot give out that grade, or
any other non-directory information.
General Rule: You must assume that the student is an adult who is entitled to privacy, even
from parents. Parents may (not must) be allowed access to the records if the student is a
dependent according to tax code. Note: FERPA does not mandate that the school provide
parents access to the records even if the parents can prove the student is a dependent. It is
always best to obtain written consent from the student before providing parents access to records.
5. You receive a call from a recruiting firm asking for names and addresses of students with a
GPA 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?
No – Although we all want to help students to get good jobs, that request should be sent to the
appropriate office.
General Rule: Do not give out student information that pertains to grade point average to
anyone without prior written consent of that student. In this case the request should be
forwarded to the Registrar’s Office. All outside requests for any information such as Dean’s
Lists must be referred to the Registrar’s Office. Information about the recruiting firm could be
provided to students in the appropriate major.
6. Does FERPA prohibit the disclosure of the work address and telephone number of an
alumnus by the Alumni Office?
No – FERPA does not protect information about a student that is gathered after the student
graduates. Had the request been for the alum’s GPA, FERPA would apply.
7. A freshman student who was admitted under special conditions requests the opportunity to
review his admissions file. He insists on reviewing these materials no later than the close of
business the following day. Does FERPA require you to respond to his request by allowing him
to review the records when he wants to?
No - Augsburg University must grant the request to review within a reasonable time but in no
case more than 45 days after the request is received. It is likely not reasonable to have to
respond to a request within 24 hours.
8. A student’s father presents a piece of paper signed by the student that states: “I consent to the
disclosure of my education records to my father.” The paper is signed and dated. The father
proves to you that he is the father of the student in question. Does this constitute sufficient
written consent under FERPA?
No – This consent does not specify the records to be disclosed, the identity of the person to
whom they are disclosed, or the purpose of the disclosure. Specific information concerning the
records, the name of the person to whom the disclosure is made and the purpose of the disclosure
must be presented in writing.
9. 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?
No – For the safety of the student you cannot tell another person where a student is at any time.
Inform the caller you can notify the student to call back immediately or have the caller contact
the Campus Security Office for more information.
10. You receive a phone call from the local police department indicating they are trying to
determine whether a particular student was in attendance on a specific day. Since they are in the
middle of an investigation, are you allowed to give them this information?
No – For the safety of the student you cannot tell another person where a student is at any time.
Inform the caller they should contact the Campus Security Office for more information.