Legal Definitions - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a law that sets rules for how schools and colleges must handle student records. FERPA protects the privacy of student education records and gives parents and eligible students certain rights to access and control those records.

For example, FERPA allows parents to access their child's educational records and request that any inaccurate information be corrected. It also requires schools to get written permission from parents or eligible students before sharing any personally identifiable information from those records.

Another example is that FERPA applies to all educational institutions that receive federal funding, including public schools, colleges, and universities. This means that FERPA protects the privacy of students' records regardless of where they attend school.