FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, is designed to protect students’ rights with regard to educational records maintained by an institution. The intent of this legislation is to protect the rights of students and ensure the privacy and accuracy of education records. FERPA has very clear rules about ownership of educational records. FERPA regulations are different for colleges than for high schools.
Once an applicant is accepted as a college student, regardless of the age of the student or who is paying the bills, the educational records become the property of the student. Georgia State instructors and administrators are not permitted to discuss attendance, academic progress or disciplinary actions with a parent alone. However, a student can request a meeting that includes parents in which case parents can be included in the discussion provided the student has completed the FERPA release form and submitted the completed form to the registrar’s office.
