To Chief State School Officers and Superintendents:
The U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office issued two guidance documents to school officials to remind them of their obligations to protect student privacy under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The guidance documents focus on student health records and encourage school officials to consider the importance of student privacy, including health privacy, before disclosing information from education records.
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act: Guidance for School Officials on Student Health Records – This document provides school officials with general information about FERPA, with a particular focus on student health records maintained by educational agencies and institutions and by third parties acting on their behalf.
- Know Your Rights: FERPA Protections for Student Health Records – This one-page document provides a brief overview of parents’ and eligible students’ rights FERPA, with a particular focus on student health records.
To stay informed of new materials and important developments from the Student Privacy Policy Office, please subscribe to the monthly Student Privacy Newsletter.