FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of students' education records and applies to all schools that receive funds under a program of the U.S. Department of Education. Parents are given rights to their child's records, but when a student turns 18 and decides to continue their schooling, these rights are transferred to them and they are known as "eligible students." Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect the students' records, they have the right to request that a school corrects the record if they believe it to be inaccurate, and schools must have written permission from the parent of eligible students to release the records.
Joint Guidance on the Application of FERPA and HIPPA to Student Health Records
Written by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education
