You should be aware of the following regulations and ensure that your course does not publicize student educational records. Use caution when asking students to post on public web tools such as blogs or wikis, or when requiring personal information in your course.

MSU complies fully with the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which governs access to, and confidentiality of, student records. Failure to follow it can result in loss of all federal funding. As a means of complying with this act, the University has developed detailed Guidelines Governing Privacy and Release of Student Records, available on the web at http://www.reg.msu.edu/Read/UCC/Updated/privacy.pdf.

Basic Rules:

• As a faculty or staff member you have access to information only for legitimate use in the completion of your responsibilities as a university employee. Need-to-know is the basic principle.
• Student educational records are confidential and may generally not be released without written consent of the student.
• You have a responsibility to protect educational records in your possession.
• Student information should only be kept as long as it is valid and useful--otherwise destroy responsibly.

Students have a right to expect that information in their educational records (including computerized records) will be kept confidential and disclosed only with their permission or as allowed by law.

Do not:

• display student scores, grades, Social Security Numbers, or PID's (personal identification number) publicly
• put papers, projects, graded exams, or reports in publicly accessible places
• share student information, including grades or GPA's, with other faculty or staff unless their responsibilities warrant a need-to-know
• discuss a student's progress with anyone (including parents) without written consent of the student
• provide anyone with lists of students enrolled in your classes for any commercial purpose
  

Err on the side of caution and do not release student educational information. Contact the Office of the Registrar or the Office of General Counsel for guidance or see MSU's web site at http://www.reg.msu.edu and click on "Guidelines Governing Privacy and Release of Student Records."