Final answer: School officials can release identifiable information without parental consent when required by law, in emergencies or to school officials with legitimate interests.
The Federal Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) is the federal law that protects personally identifiable information included in student educational records.
(a) The parent or eligible student shall provide a signed and dated written consent before an educational agency or institution discloses personally identifiable information from the student's education records, except as provided in §99.31. (3) Identify the party or class of parties to whom the disclosure may be made.
Final answer: School officials can release identifiable information without parental consent when required by law, in emergencies or to school officials with legitimate interests.
A school may disclose personally identifiable information from education records without consent under the following circumstances: Education records may be disclosed to school officials within the school, such as teachers, who have a legitimate educational interest in the information.
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.
Furthermore, schools may disclose, without consent, directory information, which FERPA defines as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance.
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.
Example: Sharing a student's grades, disciplinary records, or personal information with someone who doesn't have a legitimate educational interest or without the student's consent.