May a university employee who is authorized by law to access a computer database browse its records?
No. Although an individual may be granted access to an entire database, access is not permitted to any student’s educational record unless there is consent or a legitimate need as defined by FERPA. Under FERPA, an official of an institution who has access to all student records does not have the right to browse the records that he or she has no employment-related reason to view. It is the actual perusal of the record, not simply the ability to access the record, that triggers FERPA.
