From:	Monique Anderson [registrar@utk.edu]
Sent:	Tuesday, June 12, 2007 10:56 AM
To:	Office of Academic Records
Subject:	Student Privacy & FERPA

TO: UT Faculty and Staff
FROM: Monique Anderson
RE: Student Privacy and FERPA

The University of Tennessee is committed to protecting student privacy. Along 
with university-established privacy guidelines, the university also strongly 
follows guidelines set forth by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act 
(FERPA), often known as the Buckley Amendment. FERPA is a federal law that 
protects the privacy of student education records. Students have specific, 
protected rights regarding the release of educational records, and FERPA 
requires that institutions, especially institutions that receive federal 
funding, adhere strictly to these guidelines.

Faculty and staff at the university who have access to student information are 
charged with the responsibility of handling that information in a custodial 
manner that coincides with FERPA regulations. Therefore, it is imperative that 
faculty and staff have a working knowledge of FERPA regulations before 
deciding to release any type of educational record such as grades, grade 
rolls, class rolls, Degree Audit Reports (DARS), academic history reports, or 
class schedules.

For example, a student's grade and student ID (or social security
number) may not be posted in a public area. A student's written consent is 
required before confidential information can be released to anyone who does 
not have the right to access that information, including  spouses, parents, or 
friends. Similarly, letters of recommendation may not contain personally 
identifiable information obtained from a student's record, such as grades or 
grade point average, without a signed release from the student.

The Office of the University Registrar asks that you please take a moment to 
visit the FERPA section of our Web site
(http://registrar.tennessee.edu/records/privacy.shtml) to review the policies 
and procedures regarding the handling of student records.

If you have questions regarding FERPA, please contact the Office of the 
University Registrar by phone at 865-974-2101, or by email at 
registrar@utk.edu.

Best wishes,

Monique Anderson
Associate Dean and University Registrar