School officials can release personally identifiable information without parental consent if:

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Multiple Choice

School officials can release personally identifiable information without parental consent if:

Under FERPA, school officials who have legitimate educational interests can access and disclose personally identifiable information from a student’s education records without parental consent. This means those inside the school system—teachers, administrators, counselors, and certain staff or contractors acting on behalf of the school—need the information to perform their duties and support the student’s education and safety. That need to know within the educational team is what justifies sharing PII without asking for separate parental consent each time. This rule isn’t about general permission to share with anyone; it’s about sharing within the circle of people who are directly involved in providing education and related services. Other options don’t fit as cleanly: being over 18 doesn’t by itself grant broader releases, and disclosures to the public or to outsiders aren’t allowed unless the information is directory information and the family has not opted out. A general parental consent form on file isn’t sufficient for every disclosure—consent isn’t required for the disclosures that fall under legitimate educational interests, which is the key condition.

Under FERPA, school officials who have legitimate educational interests can access and disclose personally identifiable information from a student’s education records without parental consent. This means those inside the school system—teachers, administrators, counselors, and certain staff or contractors acting on behalf of the school—need the information to perform their duties and support the student’s education and safety. That need to know within the educational team is what justifies sharing PII without asking for separate parental consent each time.

This rule isn’t about general permission to share with anyone; it’s about sharing within the circle of people who are directly involved in providing education and related services. Other options don’t fit as cleanly: being over 18 doesn’t by itself grant broader releases, and disclosures to the public or to outsiders aren’t allowed unless the information is directory information and the family has not opted out. A general parental consent form on file isn’t sufficient for every disclosure—consent isn’t required for the disclosures that fall under legitimate educational interests, which is the key condition.

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