The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) establishes critical guidelines to protect the privacy of student education records. This federal law impacts all educational institutions receiving funds from the U.S. Department of Education.

• Rights and Responsibilities Under FERPA

FERPA grants specific rights to parents regarding their children's educational records, which transfer to students when they turn 18 or enroll in higher education institutions. Key aspects include the right to inspect and review educational records and the ability to request amendments to records deemed inaccurate or misleading. If a school declines to amend a record, it must provide a formal hearing, and if the outcome remains unchanged, the individual has the right to attach a statement to the record regarding the contested information.

• Disclosure of Information

While schools generally require written permission from the parent or eligible student to release record information, FERPA outlines several exceptions. These exceptions permit schools to disclose records without consent to entities like school officials with a legitimate educational interest, other schools where the student intends to enroll, and certain government bodies in connection with financial aid or for audit and evaluation purposes.

• Directory Information

FERPA allows schools to disclose "directory" information—such as a student's name, address, and date of birth—unless parents or eligible students opt out. Each school must annually inform parents and eligible students about directory information and provide them a reasonable amount of time to request that such information not be disclosed.

For A Parent Guide to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), CLICK HERE