FERPA and disclosures of COVID‐19 data on campus: A case study

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic has created major compliance challenges for institutions of higher education, including in the area of student privacy. At various times during the pandemic, postsecondary institutions have been panned for their lack of transparency over COVID‐19 infection rates on campus. For example, there were reports in August 2020 that the University of Alabama instructed faculty members to keep quiet about students who tested positive for COVID‐19. That same month, the University of North Carolina was criticized for refusing to reveal rates of campus infection to its student newspaper.