FERPA

What is it and why is it important?

FERPA, or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, was created in 1974 and is comprised of the rules governing the privacy of educational records. 

FERPA is important because it defines your rights with regard to your records and it acts to protect the privacy and confidentiality of your educational records.

Information for Parents

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), is a law that is designed to protect a student’s privacy with regard to certain educational records. 

A detailed description of the law may be found here: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/

FERPA is important in that it provides instruction regarding which educational information and records may or may not be disclosed.  Some records may be disclosed without a student’s consent, this is called Directory Information. 

FERPA also provides instruction regarding to whom a student’s information may be released.

For example, it is written in FERPA that certain information may be disclosed if, “the disclosure is to the parents of a student who is a dependent for income tax purposes.”

This means that in order for Bryant University to release non-directory information, such as grades, associated with your son or daughter to you, your child must be considered a “dependent for income tax purposes” and you also must have completed and submitted the Parental Consent (Privacy Act-Declaration of Dependent) form.

Once this form is submitted, you will be able to receive information about your son or daughter’s educational records, such as grades. Conversely, if we do not have a form on file we cannot release this information to you.   

This form may be printed from our website and sent in to our office once completed.  You may also pick up a form in the Office of Academic Records, MRC 202.