This presentation will look at FERPA and the role of the same for school employees in the area of social media.  First, it will review what limits educational entities should and should not place on their employees in terms of what they say or don’t say on social media to ensure that it is FERPA compliant.  Second, we will review the benefits and possible pitfalls of a growing trend in educational entities to use social media as a teaching tool and what should be done to use this tool while limiting potential violations of FERPA. This presentation will also include a review of what policies educational entities should have to address both concerns.

This presentation by expert speaker Timothy E. Gilsbach will provide a review of when FERPA is or is not implicated, what this means in terms of using social media in the educational setting, and what school entities should do to address these concerns. In addition, this presentation will touch on other areas of concern with social media in the school setting, including bullying.

Learning Objectives:

• What is FERPA and when is it implicated?
• Understand what constitutes educational records under FERPA.
• Understand the rights provided under FERPA.
• How educational entities should implement FERPA compliance in the use of social media and avoid FERPA liability?
• What training should be provided to staff about what they can and cannot say through social media?
• What constitutes improper disclosure of FERPA information through social media use?
• Understand how and when social media may matter under FERPA.
• Instances when social media usage results in problems.
• Examples of recent cases where social media and FERPA have collided.
• How to handle student or parent posts on social media without resulting in FERPA violations.
• What types of policies or procedures should educational entities have to ensure FERPA compliance in social media?
• Guidelines on using social media as an educational tool.
• Litigation and how social media fits into it. 

Training Benefits:

• To gain a better understanding of what the limits are while using social media in the area of education.
• Ensuring that you and your educational entity are FERPA compliant in the use of this technology. 
• Learning the procedures and processes to have in place to ensure compliance and avoid liability. 

Who Will Benefit:

• Director of Technology
• Director of Student Affairs/Dean of Students
• Director of Academic Affairs/Academic Dean
• Teacher or Professors who use or have considered using social media in the classroom
• Attorneys representing school districts or colleges and universities
• Directors of Human Resources