SECTION 2: RESPONSE C

Response "C" is never the correct response. Providing student information over the phone without requesting any further verification is in violation of FERPA and university policies. The most conservative and best response is "A"—not to provide the individual the information over the phone. Explain to them that under FERPA guidelines, you cannot release this protected information over the telephone. Grades are defined as non-directory information here at the university; FERPA requires a signed release before providing information to a third party. Any person making a phone request for information is immediately considered to be a third party unless verification is completed to ensure the caller is the person he or she claims to be. FERPA does not prohibit you from releasing non-directory information to students themselves but to third parties.

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—To tell the student her grades over the phone only after she has accurately provided you with the information that verifies her identity can also be a correct response only if you are able to verify, with certainty, the student’s identity by their responses to a combination of questions, such as their:

• Student identification number
• Date of birth
• Parents’ names
• Classes completed and grades
• Current class information such as the date, time, instructor, and building

We recommend you document what information was released, and how it was released, with your name, the date, and time you provided the information to the student. The note should then be filed in the student’s folder, which is maintained by Records and Advisement, for further reference and documentation.