Which statement about FERPA privacy is accurate?

• A. It protects student privacy with limited exceptions, requiring consent or legally permitted disclosures.
• B. It requires consent for every disclosure of information.
• C. It allows employers to access all records without notice.
• D. It permits unrestricted sharing of student data with third parties.

Answer: (A)

FERPA protects the privacy of student education records and generally requires consent before disclosing those records, but with limited exceptions that allow disclosures without consent under specific circumstances. This is why the statement that best fits is that privacy is protected with limited exceptions, requiring consent or legally permitted disclosures. In practice, disclosures without consent can occur for things like school officials with legitimate educational interest, when transferring to another school, in response to a court order or subpoena, or in health or safety emergencies. Directory information can be released unless the student has opted out. The other options misstate the rule: consent isn’t required for every disclosure, employers don’t have blanket access to all records without notice, and data sharing with third parties isn’t unrestricted.