Privacy Map

United States. Sectoral privacy. Act

FERPAFamily Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 C.F.R. Part 99)

In force
Partly verifiedMedium confidence. Not re-verified against a primary source in this session (search budget exhausted); details from established knowledge.

§1Summary

Synopsis

Protects the privacy of student education records at schools receiving federal education funding. Parents and eligible students have rights to access and seek amendment, and disclosure generally requires consent subject to exceptions.

Key themes
  • education records
  • consent
  • school official exception
  • directory information
  • parental rights
Unique features

Enforced through withdrawal of federal funding from institutions; no private right of action.

SaaS relevance

Ed-tech SaaS can receive student records under the 'school official' exception only if under the school's direct control and barred from redisclosure.

§2Obligations

Extraterritorial
No
Breach notification
None (no statutory breach duty)
DPO
No
Cross-border transfers
None
Maximum penalty
Loss of federal funding for institutions

§3Dates

Key dates
  • Adopted
  • In force
  • Regulations amended 2008 and 2011 (school official exception for contractors).

§4Text and authority

Text
Authority
US Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO)

§5Where it applies

Domestic law of
United States
Also applies in

§6Sources and verification

Sources consulted
Verification

Medium confidence.

Partly verifiedMedium confidence. Not re-verified against a primary source in this session (search budget exhausted); details from established knowledge.