Morehead State University Online Guide
What is FERPA?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-380), as amended, (commonly known as the Buckley Amendment) is a federal law that requires universities to maintain the confidentiality of student education records.
The law basically says that no one except employees of the institution with a professional need shall have access to students’ education records. Except for limited exemptions, the institution may not disclose any information from those records without the written consent of students. Schools are required by FERPA to provide a student with an opportunity to inspect and review his or her educational records upon requests.
Directory information may be available for release to the public by the University. However, the Act states that each student has the right to inform MSU that directory information may not be released. MSU will place a “Buckley Flag” on the student’s record to honor the request to restrict the release of directory information. MSU students may select “confidential directory information” by contacting the Office of the Vice President for Student Life and completing the necessary form. This release restriction will become part of the student’s record. When a Buckley Flag is placed on the record, no information will be released without the written consent of the student.
What access do parents have to their student’s records?
At the postsecondary level, parents have no inherent rights to inspect a student’s education records, even if they are supporting the student financially and even if the student in under 18.
However, the educational record may be disclosed to the parent of the student without the written consent of the student provided the student is under 21 and the parent has claimed that student on his or her most recent income tax return. Proof of dependency filing is required.
