Faculty Must Protect Student Privacy

According to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, a student’s grades, attendance records, and e-mail are all considered part of their records and cannot be discussed without the student’s permission. Teachers who post grades or disclose other confidential information online must protect student privacy by replacing names with confidential numbers or codes.

Real-Life E-Disaster Story:
University Locks Up Students’ E-Records

In response to an invasion of privacy claim filed by a high-profile football player, Ohio State University (OSU) notified faculty members to keep student records, electronic and otherwise, private. OSU reminded faculty that posting grades, writing letters of recommendation, or otherwise revealing confidential student information can spell trouble for the university. ^[3]

Teachers from primary grades through graduate school are advised to think twice before communicating with or about students via IM or e-mail. Educational institutions should make every effort to protect confidential student data by addressing privacy rules and regulations as part of the institution’s instant messaging and e-mail policy training program for faculty and staff. Be sure to include in your training program every instructor and staff member who interacts with students—from substitutes, teaching assistants, and part-time lecturers to full-time faculty, tenured professors, and administrators.

^[3]Alice Thomas, ‘‘OSU Warning Professors to Protect Students’ Privacy,’’ Columbus Dispatch (November 6, 2003), C5.