Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) protects personally identifiable information (PII) from students' education records from unauthorized disclosure.
The scope of FERPA applies to schools and educational institutions that receive funding under any program administered by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). This includes both K–12 and higher education. It does not apply to educational technology (EdTech) providers.
What rights does FERPA grant?
FERPA allows parents or eligible students the right to:
- Inspect and review a student's education records
- Request an amendment of the student's education records
- Consent to disclosures of PII contained in a student's education records, unless there is an applicable FERPA exception
- File a complaint with the ED
When is consent to release a student’s PII not required?
There are a number of exceptions under FERPA, including:
- Directory information
- School officials
- Studies
- Audits
- Evaluations
