Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), is a Federal law that safeguards the privacy of student education records. It applies to all schools that receive funds from the U.S. Department of Education.

Purpose:

FERPA ensures that parents and eligible students have certain rights regarding their children’s education records.
Eligibility: These rights extend to students when they reach 18 years of age or attend a school beyond high school.

Rights Under FERPA:

• Inspection and Review: Parents or eligible students can inspect and review education records maintained by the school.
• Correction: If records are inaccurate or misleading, parents or eligible students can request corrections.
• Formal Hearing: If the school refuses to amend records, a formal hearing can be requested.
• Statement Placement: If disagreements persist, a statement expressing the student’s view can be added to the record.
• Disclosure Consent: Generally, schools need written permission to release information from a student’s education record.

Exceptions:

• FERPA allows disclosure without consent in specific cases, including:
  • School officials with legitimate educational interest
  • Transfer to other schools
  • Audit or evaluation purposes
  • Financial aid administration
  • Studies conducted on behalf of the school
  • Accrediting organizations
  • Compliance with legal orders or subpoenas
  • Health and safety emergencies
  • Juvenile justice system (as per state law)
  • Directory Information: Schools may disclose “directory” information (e.g., name, address, honors) without consent, but must inform parents and eligible students

View the full text of the law

Annual FERPA Notification:

Under FERPA, the district has the option of designating certain categories of student information as “directory information”. The Board directs that “directory information” include a student’s:

• Name of student and parent(s)/guardians
• ID number, user ID, or other unique personal identifier used by a student for purposes of accessing or communicating in electronic systems (only if the ID cannot be used to gain access to education records except when used in conjunction with one or more factors that authenticate the student’s identity) Address (except information about a homeless student’s living situation, as described below)
• Telephone number
• Date and place of birth
• Major course of study/grade level
• Dates of attendance,
• Degrees and awards received
• Most recent school attended
• Grade level
• Photograph
• E-mail address
• Enrollment status
• Participation in recognized school activities/extracurricular activities/sports programs
• Academic honors, achievements, awards, scholarships

Information about a homeless student’s living situation will be treated as a student educational record and will not be deemed directory information. A parent/guardian or eligible student may elect, but cannot be compelled, to consent to release of a student’s address information in the same way they would for other student education records. The district’s McKinney-Vento liaison will take reasonable measures to provide homeless students with information on educational, employment, or other postsecondary opportunities and other beneficial activities.
Social security numbers or other personally identifiable information will not be considered directory information.

Students who opt out of having directory information shared are still required to display their student ID cards.

Once the proper FERPA notification is given by the district, a parent/guardian or student will have 14 days to notify the district of any objections they have to any of the “directory information” designations. If no objection is received, the district may release this information without prior approval of the parent/guardian or student for the release. Once the student or parent/guardian provides the “opt-out,” it will remain in effect after the student is no longer enrolled in the school district. 

Parents must put their requests in writing addressed to the Superintendent of Schools. 

File a complaint with the United States Department of Education