Guidance on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The U.S. Department of Education developed three new guides on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) : one for K-12 educators, one for higher education officials and one for parents. The FERPA brochures for school officials include contact information for obtaining additional guidance and assistance. Understanding the law empowers school officials to act quickly and decisively when problems arise. These guides will further the collection of key emergency management resources available from the U.S. Department of Education to help schools and institutions of higher education plan for, respond to and recover from a serious incident. The guides, accompanied by a letter and handout on emergency management resources, were sent today to schools, school boards, associations and others nationwide.