Which law dictates how student information can be used in an educational setting?

• A. FERPA
• B. IDEA
• C. HIPAA
• D. ADA

Answer: (A)

FERPA governs how student education records are handled in schools that receive federal funding. It defines what counts as education records (things like grades, transcripts, and disciplinary records), and it gives parents or eligible students the right to inspect and request amendments to those records. It also generally requires consent before a school can disclose records to others, with important exceptions such as disclosures to school officials with a legitimate educational interest, transfers to other schools, health or safety emergencies, or in response to a legal order. This combination of rights and disclosure rules is why FERPA is the law that dictates how student information can be used in an educational setting. The other statutes address related areas but not the specific privacy and disclosure rules for education records: IDEA focuses on special education services, HIPAA on health information outside schools, and the ADA on disability rights and accessibility.