Which regulation governs the privacy of student education records?

FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, specifically governs the privacy of student education records. It ensures that students and their parents have the right to access and review these records, as well as control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information contained within them. FERPA applies to educational institutions that receive federal funding and sets clear guidelines on how such records should be maintained, shared, and protected.

In contrast, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) primarily addresses the privacy and security of health information, not education records. CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) focuses on internet safety for students, particularly in the context of libraries and schools; it does not pertain to the broader scope of educational records privacy. SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) is related to financial practices in businesses and does not have relevance to education records or student privacy.