Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law administered by the Department (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99), affords parents and “eligible students” (students who are at least 18 years old, or, in attendance at a postsecondary institution at any age) certain rights with respect to education records, such as the right to consent to the disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) from the education records (except in certain circumstances). FERPA requires schools and districts to provide annual notification to parents and eligible students of their rights under FERPA, including:

• the right to inspect and review their edcuation records, the right to seek to amend those records, the right to consent to disclosure of PII from those records (unless an exception applies), and the right to file a complaint with the Department regarding an alleged FERPA violation:
• the procedure for exercising the right to inspect and review education records, and the procedure for requesting amendment of those records; and
• the school's or district's criteria for determining who constitutes a "school official" and what constitutes a "legitimate educational interest." 

Additional information about FERPA.