What is the main purpose of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) primarily aims to protect the privacy of student education records. This federal law gives parents and eligible students (students who are 18 years or older) specific rights regarding access to education records and the control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from those records. Under FERPA, educational institutions must obtain written consent before releasing personally identifiable information from a student's education records, ensuring that students' privacy is respected and maintained.

This legislation is crucial as it sets the legal framework for how schools manage students' confidential information, reinforcing the importance of safeguarding sensitive data in the educational context.