Can adult-age students review their medical or psychiatric records stored by the school?
Under FERPA, medical and/or psychological records of an adult-age student or a student who attends a post-secondary institution that receives public funds, are not considered education records. This is only the case, however, if those records are maintained by health care professionals and are used only for treatment purposes. A student may request that the health care professional release records to another health care provider at any time. Many schools are now choosing to include these records as part of a student’s education record, thus allowing the student access at any time. The HIPAA Privacy Rule, implemented in April 2003, does not override this provision. For more information on this medical privacy rule, read our guide, “HIPAA Basics: Medical Privacy in the Electronic Age,” www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs8a-hipaa.htm. Can adult-age students review financial records of their parents placed in their educational files? No. Financial records of parents are not released to adult-age s
