Friday Fun with FERPA
 
FERPA and Research
Texas A&M University is classified as a top tier research university. As such, faculty, administrators, and staff conduct research on a variety of subjects. When research includes student education records, compliance with FERPA must be maintained. A student education record is defined as: any records that are directly related to a student and that are maintained by an educational agency, institution, or by a party acting for or on behalf of the agency or institution.
 
Personnel within the Office of the Registrar review IRB submissions when there is a FERPA component involved. During this process, information is obtained regarding the data (what is being gathered; how the researcher will obtain it; who will have access to it; and how it will be used), the recruitment methods, and documents used for participant informed consent.
 
If researchers intend to utilize information Texas A&M University has designated as directory information in their research, FERPA does not limit the disclosure of those items, provided the individual student has not restricted the release of their information. The process to verify student restrictions must be included in the study protocol submitted within Huron.  
 
For research utilizing FERPA protected student education record information beyond directory information, researchers must obtain appropriate student consent (or conduct research confirmed as falling under an appropriate FERPA exception).
 
This FERPA review is only one component of the human research aspect in the Institutional Review Board approval process. An Investigator Manual  and a FERPA Compliance worksheet are provided by the Division of Research for researcher use and guidance.
 
Prior to submission of an IRB application, researchers may submit FERPA compliance reviews to ferpa@tamu.edu.  For additional FERPA information, be sure to review the Office of the Registrar site for FERPA and FERPA Forms & Resources.
 
If you have a topic that you are interested in being explored in a future Friday Fun with FERPA, please email ferpa@tamu.edu. Alternatively, you can submit an anonymous form with topic ideas HERE.