FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

A U.S. federal law enacted in 1974 that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA applies to educational institutions receiving federal funding, covering K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. The law grants parents (or eligible students who are 18 or attending postsecondary institutions) the right to access education records, request corrections to inaccurate records, and control disclosure of personally identifiable information from education records. Education records broadly include records directly related to students maintained by educational institutions or parties acting for them. FERPA generally requires consent before disclosing student information, with specific exceptions for directory information, school officials with legitimate interests, other schools to which students transfer, and several other specified circumstances. Violations can result in loss of federal funding. Educational institutions must provide annual FERPA notices, maintain disclosure logs, implement appropriate access controls, and establish procedures for handling requests.