FERPA or the Buckley Amendment protects the privacy of students and their parents by restricting access to school records in which individual student information is kept. Only “school officials with legitimate education interest” can directly access a student’s records. The school must define “legitimate education interest” and specify the criteria for deciding who has this interest. FERPA provides parents with access to their child’s school records, including health records, and stipulates that these records may not be released outside the school without specific parental consent except in a few circumstances.

FERPA requires our school to inform parents in writing every year of the school’s policies and administrative procedures regarding student records. Parents also should receive information on the additional protections afforded student health information, the types of school-based or school-linked health services available to students, and the names and phone numbers of the school’s health professionals. In addition,the parental notice should explain in clear, easily understood language the rights of parents and students, the limits of confidentiality, and relevant concepts such as “informed consent.” The U.S. Department of Education (USDoEd) has produced a model notice of parent’s rights under FERPA and a model school district records policy, outlining these protections.

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

Last Updated: August 26, 2019