Your right to see your child's school records (FERPA), and how to fix a mistake

Steps

1. Write to the school (principal or registrar) asking to inspect and review your child's education records. Put the date on it and keep a copy.
2. Under FERPA, the school must give you the chance to inspect and review the records within a reasonable time, and no more than 45 calendar days after your request.
3. Schools generally don't have to give copies unless something keeps you from inspecting in person (for example, you live too far away).
4. If you find a factual error, ask in writing for it to be corrected and explain why. The school must consider the request and tell you its decision.
5. If the school says no, it must tell you about your right to a hearing. If the record still isn't changed, you can add your own statement to the record.
6. Grades, evaluations and discipline decisions themselves usually can't be changed through FERPA. Ask the teacher or school about their review process instead. For IEP disagreements, use the IDEA dispute options.
7. Check your school's annual FERPA notice for its "directory information" list (such as name, photo and grade level) and how to opt out if you don't want it shared.

Good to know

• FERPA rights belong to both custodial and noncustodial parents unless a court order, legally binding document or state law says otherwise.
• When a student turns 18 or enters college at any age, the rights transfer from the parent to the student.
• FERPA applies to schools that receive U.S. Department of Education funding. Most private and faith-based K-12 schools don't, so it generally doesn't apply to them.

For PTAs

PTAs don't get access to student records. If your PTA wants a family directory, ask families directly for permission to include their contact details, rather than asking the school for the list.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy Office: What is FERPA? — https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/faq/what-ferpa

U.S. Department of Education: A Parent Guide to FERPA — https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/resources/parent-guide-family-educational-rights-and-privacy-act-ferpa

A Parent Guide to FERPA (PDF, SPPO-21-04) — https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/sites/default/files/resource_document/file/A%20parent%20guide%20to%20ferpa_508.pdf

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Related

• November school-parent checklist
• Parent-teacher conference prep: a 15-minute checklist

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