Letters of Importance

This document explains some of the major legislative changes made to FERPA over its 40 year history.  It was last updated in June of 2002.

Letter of finding regarding the applicability of FERPA when announcing achievement awards during an assembly.

Letter to The University of Mississippi regarding whether certain documents containing student information can be released without violating FERPA. 

Letter regarding the applicability of FERPA to disclosures of education records to faculty and that a professor does not generally have a legitimate educational interest in complaints filed against him or her.

Letter to Hunter College advising of the results a complaint filed by a student alleging a violation of rights under FERPA.

Letter to the University of New Hampshire advising of the finding in the complaint filed by a student alleging a violation of rights under FERPA. 

Letter clarifying that FERPA's directory information provisions do not generally apply to an SEA and that an SEA may only disclose a student's directory information if the school where the student attends informs the SEA of its directory information policy and whether the student's parent has opted out.

Letter of technical assistance to University of California regarding the applicability of FERPA to the disclosure of student information to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of the Ombudsman. 

Letter of technical assistance to American Federation of Teachers on whether universities may disclose PII from graduate assistant teachers to a union representing student graduate assistants. 

Letter explaining that FERPA does not apply to a DOD Section 6 school, which is funded solely by the Department of Defense and not a recipient of funds from the Department of Education.