The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. As a leading provider of educational technology, RCampus is committed to ensuring that all our products and services comply with FERPA regulations. This document outlines our compliance practices and the measures we take to protect student privacy. More about FERPA at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
What is FERPA?
FERPA is a federal law that affords parents the right to access their children’s education records, the right to seek to have the records amended, and the right to have some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from the education records. When a student turns 18 years old or enters a postsecondary institution at any age, the rights under FERPA transfer from the parents to the student.
FERPA Compliance at RCampus
Access Control
- User Authentication: RCampus ensures that only authorized users have access to student records. We employ robust authentication mechanisms to protect sensitive information.
- Role-Based Access: Access to student data is granted based on user roles. Faculty, administrators, and students have different levels of access, ensuring that only the necessary information is available to each user group.
Data Protection
- Encryption: All student data within RCampus is encrypted both in transit and at rest. This ensures that data remains secure from unauthorized access during transfer and storage.
- Secure Hosting: RCampus services are hosted in secure, FERPA-compliant data centers. These facilities implement physical and digital safeguards to protect data integrity and confidentiality.
Data Minimization
- Limited Data Collection: RCampus collects only the data necessary to provide our services. We do not gather unnecessary personal information, ensuring that we maintain compliance with FERPA’s data minimization principle.
- Anonymization: Where possible, RCampus anonymizes data to further protect student privacy. This means that identifying information is removed from datasets used for analysis or research purposes.
Parental and Student Rights
- Access to Records: RCampus provides mechanisms for parents and eligible students to access their education records. Users can view and review their records through secure, authenticated access.
- Amendment Requests: If a parent or eligible student believes that their education records contain inaccurate or misleading information, RCampus facilitates the process for requesting amendments. This is done in collaboration with the respective educational institution.
- Disclosure Control: RCampus adheres to FERPA guidelines regarding the disclosure of personally identifiable information. We do not share student data with third parties without the explicit consent of the student or parent, except as permitted by FERPA.
Training and Awareness
- Staff Training: All RCampus employees undergo regular training on FERPA regulations and data privacy best practices. This ensures that our team is well-equipped to handle student data responsibly.
- Institutional Support: RCampus provides resources and support to educational institutions to help them maintain FERPA compliance. This includes guidance on data handling, access control, and privacy policies.
RCampus is dedicated to protecting student privacy and ensuring that our services comply with FERPA regulations. By implementing stringent access controls, data protection measures, and providing robust support to educational institutions, we aim to provide a secure and compliant environment for all users. If you have any questions about our FERPA compliance practices, please contact us.