The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Under FERPA, "directory information" refers to certain information in a student's education record that can be disclosed without the student's written consent, unless the student has opted out of such disclosure. According to 20 U.S.C. 1232g(a)(5)(A), directory information may include:
- The student's name
- Address
- Email addresses
- Telephone listing
- Major field of study
- Dates of attendance
- Enrollment status (full-time or part-time)
- Degrees and awards received
- Dates of degrees, honors, and awards
- Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
- Weight and height of members of athletic teams
Students have the right to withhold the disclosure of such directory information by submitting a request to the Registrar's Office. At the post-secondary level, parents do not have an inherent right to access their child's educational records. Access is limited solely to the student, unless one of the following conditions is met:
- The student provides written consent.
- The institution complies with a subpoena.
- The disclosure is in connection with a health or safety emergency, as determined by the college.
- The parents submit official evidence, such as a federal tax return transcript, demonstrating that the student is a dependent for IRS tax purposes.
It's important to note that even if parents have submitted their tax returns to the Financial Aid Office, this does not automatically grant them access to the student's records. A recent federal tax transcript must be submitted along with the request to the Registrar.