The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law enacted in 1974 that protects the privacy of student education records. It applies to all educational institutions that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Education, which includes virtually every public school district, college, and university in the United States.
FERPA gives parents certain rights regarding their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when they turn 18 or attend a postsecondary institution. Under FERPA, schools must obtain written consent before disclosing personally identifiable information from a student's education record, with certain exceptions such as legitimate educational interest, health and safety emergencies, and directory information that the school has designated as public.