The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a U.S. federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. It applies to all educational institutions that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Education and grants parents (or eligible students over 18) the right to access, amend, and control the disclosure of their records. Schools must obtain consent before sharing personally identifiable information (PII), except in certain permitted cases, such as disclosures to school officials with a legitimate educational interest.
While FERPA does not explicitly require encryption, it mandates that schools and third-party service providers implement reasonable security measures to protect student records from unauthorized access. Encryption is widely recommended as a best practice for securing student data, especially when storing or transmitting sensitive information electronically. Non-compliance with FERPA can result in funding loss and reputational damage, making strong data protection measures essential for educational institutions.