FERPA 101

Which of the following is considered an “education record” under FERPA?

• A teacher’s lesson plan notes

• Records maintained by the school that are directly related to a student

• Private messages a student sends on social media

• School safety inspection logs

FERPA rights for K–12 students belong primarily to:

• The school

• The teacher

• The parent or legal guardian

• The student’s counselor

When do FERPA rights transfer from parents to the student?

• When the student turns 16

• When the student graduates

• When the student withdraws from school

• When the student turns 18 or enters a postsecondary institution

Which of the following qualifies as “directory information” that may be released unless parents/eligible students opt out?

• Grades and attendance records

• Disciplinary incidents

• Student’s name and school-issued email address

• Special education or disability status

Scenario: A parent emails you requesting access to their child’s online gradebook. The student is 17 and enrolled in high school. What should you do?

• Deny the request because only the student has rights

• Provide access only if the student gives consent

• Provide access because parents hold FERPA rights for K–12 students

• Refer the parent directly to the school counselor

Scenario: You accidentally email a grade report for the wrong student to a parent, exposing that student’s personally identifiable information. What is the FIRST and most appropriate action to take to comply with FERPA?

• Ignore it and hope the parent doesn’t notice

• Immediately report the incident to your supervisor so the breach can be documented and addressed properly

• Delete the email from your “Sent” folder to hide the mistake

• Remove the student from the course to prevent future errors

Scenario: You want to share a student’s work sample as an exemplar in your online course. To comply with FERPA, what must you do before posting it?

• Remove the student’s name and post it without notifying anyone

• Post it only if the work received a high grade

• Share it as long as only current students can view it

• Remove all PII and obtain permission from the parent or eligible student to use the work as an exemplar

FERPA allows teachers to disclose personally identifiable information (PII) without written consent only under which circumstance?

• When another staff member is curious about the student

• When preparing a feature for the school newsletter

• When there is a documented health or safety emergency requiring immediate disclosure

• When a student is failing and parents are unresponsive

Which of the following is NOT considered PII under FERPA?

• Student ID number

• Indirect identifiers such as birthplace

• A classroom seating chart that contains no identifying details

• Transcript information

A teacher sends an email about a student's behavior to the student’s counselor. This communication is:

• A FERPA violation

• Allowed if both individuals have legitimate educational interest

• Allowed only if the parent gives written consent

• Allowed only if the behavior affects academic grades