Why Is Ferpa Important

!!!What is FERPA?

__FERPA__ stands for ''Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act'', and it includes a variety of regulations aimed at protecting the privacy of students. All schools that receive funding from the United States Department of Education are required to know and abide by these regulations. Schools not in compliance with FERPA can face serious consequences to include investigations and auditing, compliance implementation planning, and possibly funding sanctions. Schools, districts or individual staff members can face the consequences of FERPA violations. The Family Policy Compliance Office is responsible for investigating these violations. Schools must have policies and procedures in place to ensure that student privacy is maintained

When students are minors, their parents have this right of access to those records and that right parents first to students when they turn 18 or if they are attending college. The educational records covered under FERPA refer to any documentation or files to include digital, video, audio, handwritten or print media. Any services related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are also confidential records protected by FERPA. Health records like immunizations or visits to the nurse's office can fall under the protection of FERPA because they are directly related to the student and maintained by the school or a representative of the

A student has the right to __privacy__ regarding their educational records and the school has the duty of maintaining the __confidentiality__ of those private records. Schools are required to make annual notifications to parents and students regarding their rights under FERPA. Parents or legal guardians of minors or students over the age 18 have access to and limited control of student records with several notable exemptions to include identifying __directory information__. School personnel with a legitimate reason to access those records may do so without consent of the parent or student in the course of performing their official duties, for safety or legal reasons, for financial aid or accreditation and a few other reasons. Non-compliance with purpose and result in serious consequences for the schools or individuals