What does FERPA stand for?

FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. This law was enacted to protect the privacy of students' educational records. Under FERPA, parents or eligible students (those over the age of 18) are given certain rights regarding access to their educational records, the right to request the amendment of inaccurate records, and the right to consent to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from those records. It ensures that educational institutions must provide students and parents with access to their education records and prohibits the release of these records without consent, thereby safeguarding students' privacy. This act is critical in educational settings, as it lays the groundwork for how schools handle students' personal information and reinforces the importance of confidentiality in education.