Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
FERPA is the acronym for the federal statute titled the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act [20 U.S.C. §1029(f) and 20 U.S.C. §1232(g)], and is also commonly known as the “Buckley Amendment.” This statute protects the privacy of a student’s educational record and prohibits the release of student information to third parties, including the student's parents, absent the student’s consent, unless such information is defined as “directory information” or the requestor is a statutorily designated individual. Directory information includes the student’s name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degree and award received, most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student, e-mail address, and other information as defined by university policy that is not contradictory to the statute. Although a university may release this information, it is not required to do so.
Additonal information and resources related to FERPA can be found on PASSHE's website.
Statutes and Regulations
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C.A. § 1232g, 34 C.F.R. §§ 99.1, et seq.
(Buckley Amendment or FERPA)
- FERPA Regulations, 34 CFR Part 99
- FERPA Amendments under the USA PATRIOT ACT,
(October 26, 2001).
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