What is the purpose of FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that provides students and their families with certain rights about their education records. This law was passed in 1974 to protect the privacy of student’s records and to ensure that these records are not released to unauthorized individuals or agencies. The main purpose of FERPA is to ensure that student records are kept confidential and only accessible to designated individuals or agencies. According to the law, students and their families have the right to inspect and review their education records, as well as the right to request changes or corrections to any inaccurate or misleading information. Student records are generally not disclosed without parental consent, unless it is for educational purposes or other specific reasons outlined under the law. FERPA also provides students and their families with the right to protect their student records from being used for any purpose other than fulfilling the school’s educational mission. This includes preventing the use of student records for marketing or advertising purposes. Overall, FERPA is an important law that has safeguards in place to protect students and their families from the unauthorized release of their private education records. It also ensures that the student’s records are kept confidential and secure, and it gives students and families the right to review their records and to make changes if needed.

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