What is The Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act of 1974?

FERPA, or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, is a U.S. federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. It gives parents, and later eligible students, specific rights to inspect records, request corrections, and control many disclosures of personally identifiable information.

What does The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 1974 (FERPA) cover?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act applies to schools and educational institutions that receive funds under applicable U.S. Department of Education programs. This includes many K-12 schools, colleges, and universities.

The law protects “education records,” which are records directly related to a student and maintained by the school or by a party acting for the school. These can include grades, transcripts, class schedules, disciplinary records, financial information, and certain health records maintained by a school.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act does not treat every piece of student-related information the same way. For example, schools may designate some basic details as “directory information,” such as a student’s name, enrollment status, or awards, but they must usually provide notice and allow an opt-out before disclosing it.

Who has rights under FERPA?

FERPA rights initially belong to parents. These rights transfer to the student when the student turns 18 or attends a postsecondary institution, whichever comes first. At that point, the student becomes an “eligible student.”

Core FERPA rights include:

• The right to inspect and review education records.
• The right to request amendment of records believed to be inaccurate or misleading.
• The right to provide written consent before many disclosures of personally identifiable information.
• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education for alleged violations.

Why does FERPA matter for cybersecurity?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is not only a records-access rule. It also shapes how schools, vendors, and technology platforms handle student data. When education records move through learning apps, device management platforms, cloud storage, or administrative systems, institutions must manage access carefully.

For IT and security teams, FERPA creates practical obligations around identity management, role-based access, audit readiness, secure data sharing, and vendor oversight. A school should know who can access student records, why they need access, and how that access is monitored.

Solutions such as Hexnode can support this broader privacy posture by helping institutions manage school-owned devices, enforce security policies, and reduce unauthorized exposure of student data on endpoints.

What happens if FERPA is violated?

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act enforcement can involve investigation by the U.S. Department of Education. Schools may be required to correct practices that do not comply with the law. In serious or unresolved cases, federal funding consequences may apply, though enforcement typically focuses first on bringing institutions into compliance.

For organizations, the bigger risk is often operational and reputational. Weak access controls, unclear data-sharing practices, or poor vendor governance can erode trust with students, parents, and regulators.