The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records and governs who has access to student information. Under FERPA, students have several important rights: the right to consent to the disclosure of their education records, the right to inspect and review those records, the right to request amendments, and the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Family Policy Compliance Office.
An “education record” includes any file, document, or material related to a student that is maintained by Carleton College or by someone acting on the College’s behalf. These records can exist in many forms, including paper and electronic formats. In most cases, the College must obtain written consent from the student before releasing information from an education record to third parties.
At the same time, the College maintains certain “directory information,” which may be disclosed without a student’s written consent because it is not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if shared. By contrast, protected education records include sensitive information such as grades, course enrollment and schedules, disciplinary records, and financial information, all of which are subject to FERPA protections.