We sent this email at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, to CU Boulder faculty, staff and temporary employees.

Dear faculty and staff,

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

FERPA protections go into effect for incoming Spring 2025 students on Monday, Jan. 13, and remain in effect for continuing and returning students.

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 full privacy. This includes items such as student name, major(s) and minor(s), and participation in officially recognized activities or sports (see Directory Information 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 legitimate educational interest. 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 Release of Student Recommendations.

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.

Artificial Intelligence

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

Student Privacy Options & University Business Practices

• Communicating with Students
• Communicating with Third Parties
• Maintaining Student Records
• Sending Student Data Electronically

• 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 Confirming a Student's Identity.
• FERPA Consent to Release: The online process to authorize release of nondirectory education records to a third party. See FERPA Consent to Release.
• CU Guest Access: Allows students 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 CU Guest Access.
• Full Privacy: An option for students to restrict the release of their directory information. These students are identified in Campus Solutions and Buff Portal Advising 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 through Buff Portal Advising or Campus Solutions. Faculty may do so through their class or grade rosters in .

FERPA Training & Resources

Each year, the Office of the Registrar offers a FERPA review and training session that allows faculty and staff to ask questions about specific situations. Visit our training and support page to view upcoming sessions or request departmental training.

Please don't hesitate to contact the Office of the Registrar when questions arise. Additional FERPA information is available in Skillsoft and on the Office of the Registrar and websites.

Office of the Registrar | University of Colorado Boulder
303-492-6970 | registrar@colorado.edu

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We sent this email at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, to CU Boulder faculty, staff and temporary employees.

Dear faculty and staff,

Student data privacy is everyone's responsibility. The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the University of Colorado Boulder 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 Directory Information 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 CU Boulder should stay current with campus policies and guidance regarding student data privacy, compliance, security and other AI considerations and implications. See Artificial Intelligence at CU Boulder.

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 FERPA Consent to Release.
• CU Guest Access: Allows students 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 | University of Colorado Boulder
303-492-6970 | registrar@colorado.edu

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In the past, if someone asked a university employee for information about a student on full privacy and didn't immediately volunteer a password/passphrase to confirm their identity/ authorization, the employee was required to tell the requester, "We have no information on that person."

That language is no longer supported by CU Boulder's Office of General Counsel.

Going forward, counsel requests that we instead reply, "Due to data privacy policies, we are unable to respond to your request."

To learn more, see our step-by-step instructions on how to confirm a student's identity and how to confirm a third party's FERPA consent to release.

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As outlined in our August email to faculty and staff, CU Boulder employees are obligated to comply with FERPA, the federal law that governs the protection and disclosure of student educational records.

Before disclosing any sensitive information to an unfamiliar student or third party (e.g., parent, guardian, sponsor), follow our instructions to confirm a student's identity or confirm a third party's FERPA authorization.

In particular, be sure to:

• Verify a student's security passphrase if they can't present a photo ID. If they haven't set a passphrase yet, refer them to Buff Portal to do so rather than using an alternate method to verify their identity.
• Verify a third party's authorization phrase. If they're unable to provide their authorization phrase, there's no other way to confirm their identity or FERPA authorization over the phone. The third party will need to reach out to the student to ask what authorization phrase the student set up for them.

Note: If a third party tells you they've logged in to a CU Boulder system using a student's credentials, please inform them that campus computing policies prohibit students from sharing their login information.

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Dear [first],

Our records indicate that it's been three or more years since you passed the CU: FERPA online training course.

To retain your CU-SIS access, you must retake this course and obtain a score of 80 or higher. If you fail to meet this requirement, your CU-SIS access will be revoked.

For step-by-step instructions on how to complete this course, visit CU-SIS Access.

Please reply to this email to let us know once you’ve successfully met the FERPA recertification requirement, or to inform us that you no longer require this access.

With kind regards,

Online Office of the Registrar

Office of the Registrar | University of Colorado Boulder
303-492-6970 | registrar@colorado.edu

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Dear [first],

Our records indicate that it's been three or more years since you passed the CU: FERPA online training course.

To retain your CU-SIS access, you must retake this course and obtain a score of 80 or higher. If you fail to meet this requirement, your CU-SIS access will be revoked.

For step-by-step instructions on how to complete this course, visit CU-SIS Access.

Please reply to this email to let us know once you’ve successfully met the FERPA recertification requirement, or to inform us that you no longer require this access.

With kind regards,

Online Office of the Registrar

Office of the Registrar | University of Colorado Boulder
303-492-6970 | registrar@colorado.edu

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