Storing Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Data on Google Drive
On October 10, 2022, all faculty and staff can begin storing FERPA data in Google
Drive and Google Shared Drives.
Please take a moment to learn more about how you can safely store FERPA data in Google
Drive.
What is FERPA and FERPA data?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (sometimes referred
to as the Buckley Amendment), is a federal law regarding the privacy of student records
and the obligations of the institution, primarily in the areas of release of records,
and the access provided to these records. Visit the Office of the University Register website to learn more about what does and doesn’t qualify as student record data and when
student consent is required.
How do I store FERPA data in Google Drive?
To upload, navigate to drive.google.com and then either drag and drop your files and folders or click “folder upload” and
select them:
How is Fresno State preventing the unauthorized disclosure of private student data?
To prevent the unauthorized disclosure of private student data, Fresno State has implemented
Google Drive rules to warn staff members when they try to share (externally) documents
or folders that contain private student data. The warning will come from Google in
the form of a pop-up that looks like the one below.
If you see this warning, please check that the file or folder you share does not contain any private student data (unless that student has given explicit written consent to release the information). See the Office of the University Registrar website for additional information regarding how students can submit their consent.
What is FERPA data?
Under FERPA, education records are defined as records that are directly related to
a student and are maintained by an education agency or institution or by a party acting
for the agency or institution. According to FERPA, personally identifiable information
in an education record may not be released without prior written consent from the
student. Examples of information that MAY NOT BE RELEASED without prior consent are:
- Birth date
- Religious affiliation
- Citizenship
- Disciplinary status
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- GPA, grades, and test scores (SAT, GRE)
- Marital status
- SSN/ID
- Progress reports (STARS)
Additional FERPA information is on the Office of the University Registrar website
What is not FERPA data?
FERPA has specifically identified certain information called directory information
that may be disclosed without student consent. Although directory information may
be disclosed without student consent, Fresno State is not required to release directory
information.
Examples of directory information data include:
- Name
- Major field of study
- Student Photo
- Participation in officially recognized University sports and activities
- Weight and height of members of athletic teams
- Enrollment status (undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time)
- Transcript degrees, awards, honors (including dates) received at Fresno State
- Most recent educational institution attended
Additional directory information is on the Office of the University Registrar website.
Questions?
Technical questions regarding how to save FERPA data to Google may be directed to
the Service Desk at 559.278.5000 or visit the Technology Services website.
Questions about FERPA and student consent may be directed to the Office of the University Registrar at 559.278.4743.
This PDF is provided as a print-only reference document and may not be fully accessible to users of assistive technology. For more information, please visit Title II Rule on Digital Accessibility page.