Protecting student privacy, or hiding key details from the public? How schools use or misuse a 50-year-old law you might not know about
The article from CNN explains the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a U.S. federal law enacted in 1974 that safeguards the privacy of student education records. FERPA grants parents the right to access and request amendments to their children’s educational records. Once a student turns 18 or enrolls in postsecondary education, these rights transfer to the student. Schools must obtain written consent before disclosing personally identifiable information from education records, with certain exceptions such as health or safety emergencies. The law also permits the release of “directory information” (e.g., name, address, date of birth) unless the student opts out. FERPA violations can result in the loss of federal funding for educational institutions.
