By Audience: K-12 School Officials

The resources on this page are intended for staff and educators of public K-12 schools and school districts.  Resources found here typically address FERPA and how it applies to the various day-to-day operations of public schools at the administrative level.  Guidance is also provided for specific situations that occur only in the K-12 setting.

Letters

SPPO Findings Letters 2009 (November - December)

As part of its enforcement activities under FERPA, the Student Privacy Policy Office issues a variety of letters to include letters that explain why an investigation will not be initiated as well as that detail our findings after conducting an investigation. While we have identified those letters of more significance and posted them under “Letters of Importance,” we also want to make available the full collection of findings letters we issued in this archive. The attached archive, in ZIP file format, contains redacted letters from November to December of 2009.

Letters

SPPO Findings Letters 2009 (December)

As part of its enforcement activities under FERPA, the Student Privacy Policy Office issues a variety of letters to include letters that explain why an investigation will not be initiated as well as that detail our findings after conducting an investigation. While we have identified those letters of more significance and posted them under “Letters of Importance,” we also want to make available the full collection of findings letters we issued in this archive. The attached archive, in ZIP file format, contains redacted letters from the 2009 calendar year.

Letters

Memorandum to State Directors of Migrant Education

Memorandum responding to several questions received by the Office of Migrant Education (OME) of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) regarding the applicability of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g, to the collection and transmission of migrant student data as part of the Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX).

Guidance
Letters

Letter to New Jersey Department of Education Regarding Student Database-January 2008

Letter clarifying that a party qualifies as a contractor of an SEA under FERPA not because of a contract or agreement per se, but by virtue of a contract or agreement to perform services that the SEA would otherwise provide for itself and where the disclosure of PII would be lawful under FERPA if employees were performing the service.

Guidance
Letters

Letter to School District re: SES Providers Contacting Parents

Letter to a school district providing assurance that Approved Supplemental Educational Providers are not prohibited by FERPA from contacting parents and guardians of students served in SES programs in previous years. It notes that FERPA does not permit a provider to disclose students' Personally Identifiable Information third parties, without the written consent of the student's parent.