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Dear faculty and staff,

Student data privacy is everyone's responsibility. The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ have set forth guidelines related to the disclosure of and access to student education records maintained by the university.

go into effect for incoming Fall 2024 students on Monday, Aug. 26, and remain in effect for continuing and returning students.

Consider attending the on Sept. 26 from 12:30–2 p.m.

Education Records

Any record that directly relates to a student and is maintained by CU (regardless of medium) is classified as an education record. Education records include:

• Directory information, which may generally be disclosed to a third party without the written consent of the student, as long as the student hasn't established . This includes items such as student name, major(s) and minor(s), and participation in officially recognized activities or sports (see for a complete list).
• Nondirectory information, which is personally identifiable information that may not be disclosed to anyone, including parents, without documented student consent. School officials, including faculty and staff, may only access nondirectory information if they have a . This includes sensitive data, such as SSNs, grades and financial information, and class recordings (see below).

Remote & Online Classes

Recordings of lectures or class meetings are considered education records if students' names or likenesses are displayed or disclosed. You may share these recordings with the class, but not with others without documented consent from each student identified in the recording.

When offering classes through Zoom, by requiring authentication and setting a meeting password. Before sharing your screen in class, close all documents or systems displaying personally identifiable information. Accidental sharing of such information is a violation of FERPA.

Students on full privacy (see below) are not treated differently than other students within the physical or virtual classroom. Their name, image and email address may appear on screen and in your learning management system, and you may call on them by name.

Letters of Recommendation

Any disclosure of nondirectory student information (e.g., class performance, grades, abilities, background) to a third party in letters of recommendation or reference calls requires prior documented consent from the student. For full details and a student release form, see .

Accommodations Related to Disabilities

Students’ disabilities are protected under FERPA. When contacting students in your class to discuss accommodations related to disabilities, you must email students individually or bcc each student email address to avoid a FERPA violation. If you have any questions, please contact Disability Services.

Artifical Intelligence

AI development, its uses and tools are rapidly evolving. AI users at ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ should stay current with campus policies and guidance regarding student data privacy, compliance, security and other AI considerations and implications. See Artificial Intelligence at ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ.

Student Privacy Options & University Business Practices

• Security Passphrase: Required for verifying the identity of a student who cannot present a photo ID or who is contacting the university by phone. See .
• FERPA Consent to Release: The online process to authorize release of nondirectory education records to a third party. See .
• CU Guest Access: AllowsÌýstudents to grant read-only online access to select third parties. If a student has established CU guest access for a third party, but not FERPA consent to release, you cannot release any FERPA-protected information. See .
• Full Privacy: An option for students to . These students are identified in Campus Solutions with a red "private" label. If asked for information about a student on full privacy, school officials must tell the requester, "Due to data privacy policies, we are unable to respond to your request."

Advisors may check student privacy settings in or Campus Solutions. Instructors may do so through their class or grade rosters in .

Don't hesitate to contact the Office of the Registrar with questions or to request departmental FERPA training. Additional FERPA information is available in and on the and websites.

Office of the Registrar | ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ
303-492-6970 | registrar@colorado.edu