The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students over 18 years of age ("eligible students") certain rights with respect to the student's education records. They are:
(1) The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the district receives a request for access.
Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal (or appropriate school official) a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The principal (or appropriate school official) will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
(2) The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate or misleading or in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA.
Parents or eligible students who wish to ask the school district to amend a record should write the school principal, clearly identifying the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it should be changed.
If the district decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the district will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and advise them of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.
(3) The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception, which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of the school who performs an institutional service of function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist, or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee or student assistance team, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
(4) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the district to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education,
400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC, 20202-4605.
I.C. Iowa Code Description
Iowa Code § 22 Open Records
Iowa Code § 279.9B Directors - Powers and Duties - Reports to Juvenile Authorities
Iowa Code § 280.24 Drug & Alcohol Possession Reporting
Iowa Code § 280.25 Information Sharing
Iowa Code § 622.10 Evidence - Communications in Professional Confidence
I.A.C. Iowa Administrative Code Description
281 I.A.C. 12.3 Administration
281 I.A.C. 41 Special Education
U.S.C. - United States Code Description
20 U.S.C. § 1232g Education - FERPA
20 U.S.C. §1415 IDEA - Procedural Safeguards
C.F.R. - Code of Federal Regulations Description
34 C.F.R. Pt. 300 Education - Disabilities/Children/Assistance to States
34 C.F.R. Pt. 300.610 Education - Confidentiality
34 C.F.R. Pt. 99 Education - Family Rights and Privacy
Cross References 102 Equal Educational Opportunity
102-R(1) Equal Educational Opportunity - Grievance Procedure
102-E(1) Equal Educational Opportunity - Annual Notice of Nondiscrimination
102-E(2) Equal Educational Opportunity - Continuous Notice of Nondiscrimination
102-E(3) Equal Educational Opportunity - Notice of Section 504 Student and Parental Rights
102-E(4) Equal Educational Opportunity - Discrimination Complaint Form
102-E(5) Equal Educational Opportunity - Witness Disclosure Form
102-E(6) Equal Educational Opportunity - Disposition of Complaint Form
603.03 Special Education
604.11 Appropriate Use of Online Learning Platforms
605.08 Artificial Intelligence in the Educational Environment
605.08-R(1) Artificial Intelligence in the Educational Environment - Regulation
708 Care, Maintenance and Disposal of School District Records
712 Technology and Data Security
712-R(1) Technology and Data Security - Security Requirements of Third- Party Vendors Regulation
804.06 Use of Recording Devices on School Property
804.06-R(1) Use of Recording Devices on School Property - Use of District Owned Recording Devices Regulation
901 Public Examination of School District Records
Approved: 9/20/2021, 9/16/2024, 11/17/2025, 3/25/2026
Reviewed: 2/25/2026
Revised: 2/25/2026
