What is FERPA, and how does it impact records management?

FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. It applies to any institution that receives U.S. Department of Education funding, and it controls who can access records and how they can be shared. For school records management, that means keeping student information secure, limiting access to authorized personnel, and properly disposing of records when the time comes.