What rights do the parents or legal guardian of a student have to get information from their childs records?
FERPA expressly states that when a student reaches the age of 18 OR is attending an institution of post secondary education the rights of access to student records “transfer from the parents to the student.”Thus, the parents’ rights are terminated unless the parents either obtain written consent from their child or submit proof that they claimed the student as a dependent in their most recent federal tax return. A copy of the written consent or the tax return must be submitted along with their written request for access to the student’s records. Once this has been done, the parents become “qualified” for access in the same manner as the student.
