The Federal Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) is the federal law that protects personally identifiable information included in student educational records.
Final answer: School officials can release identifiable information without parental consent when required by law, in emergencies or to school officials with legitimate interests.
Final answer: School officials can release identifiable information without parental consent when required by law, in emergencies or to school officials with legitimate interests.
FERPA regulations require that local education agencies give annual notification to parents and eligible students of their rights under FERPA (34 CFR § 99.7). The law does not require agencies to notify parents and eligible students individually, but agencies must provide notification where they are likely to see it.
In the absence of the written consent, FERPA permits an educational agency or institution to disclose PII from an education record of a student if the disclosure meets one or more of the conditions outlined in 20 U.S.C. § 1232g(b) and (h) – (j) and 34 CFR § 99.31.
There are several exceptions in FERPA that allow schools to share information without consent, including with parents. The most common exception related to this issue allows schools to share records with a parent if the student is a dependent of the parent for tax purposes under IRS tax rules.
By waiving your FERPA rights (which most students do), you signal to colleges that you're genuinely interested and trust the process. It's essential to complete the FERPA Release Authorization in a timely manner, as your high school needs adequate time to send your records to colleges.
Records may be released without the student's consent: (1) to school officials with a legitimate educational interest; (2) to other schools to which a student seeks or intends to enroll; (3) to education officials for audit and evaluation purposes; (4) to accrediting organizations; (5) to parties in connection with ...