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Office of the Registrar

FERPA for Faculty & Staff

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records. It governs how universities manage, access, and share student information.

Under FERPA, the University is responsible for:

  • Maintaining the confidentiality and security of student records
  • Determining who is authorized to access student information
  • Ensuring that access is granted only for appropriate and approved purposes

Faculty and staff are considered “school officials” under FERPA and are responsible for safeguarding student information. To review the full arituclation of FERPA, check out our FERPA page.

Access to student education records is permitted only when there is a legitimate educational interest, meaning the information is necessary to fulfill professional responsibilities in support of the University’s academic mission.

Faculty and staff must not access or disclose student information out of curiosity or for purposes unrelated to their assigned duties.

Frequent FERPA Guidance Topics

  • Posting Grades
  • Student Photos & Videos
  • Communication
  • Virtual Learning
  • Research

U.S. Department of Education FERPA Online Training

This online training course was developed by the Privacy Technical Assistance Center of the U.S. Department of Education as an introduction to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and its requirements relating to the privacy and security of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in student records.  This course addresses FERPA basics, explores requirements for the protection of student records for Colleges, Universities and other postsecondary institutions, addresses who may and may not access student records, when those records may be shared, and discusses several of the applicable exceptions to the FERPA requirement for consent.

The University is legally and ethically obligated to protect the confidentiality of student records. To be granted access to student records, you must complete this training and share the certificate with your supervisor. 

Please review our FERPA page for detailed information regarding Stony Brook University's FERPA Policy which may exceed U.S. Department of Education Standards. 

What should I expect to gain from this tutorial?

  • Knowledge of laws and policies governing acceptable use and release of student records.
  • An understanding of your responsibilities in complying with these laws and policies.
  • An understanding of how to protect a student's right to privacy.

Begin training for FERPA 101: FOR COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES