The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-380) states in part that “all academic and personal records pertaining to individual students are confidential and can only be inspected by parents and school officials.” Laws and regulations require West Fork Public Schools to:

1. Provide parents and eligible students the opportunity to inspect education records.
2. Provide parents and eligible students the opportunity to challenge the contents of the record
   when they believe it contains information that is inaccurate, misleading or an invasion of the
   student’s right to privacy.
3. Limit disclosure of information from a student’s record to those who have written consent of
   the parent or eligible student or to officials specifically permitted by law to those of other
   schools, in which the student seeks to enroll, and (under certain conditions and for specific
   purposes) to local, state and Federal officials.
4. The law also requires the school system to define “directory information” and to inform parents
   and eligible students what it is and to explain how this can prevent any or all parts of directory
   information from being released.

Parents and eligible students may refuse to allow the release of any of the above items. They must notify the principals of the student’s school in writing and identify the specific information to be withheld. When any student has reached the age of 18 or is attending an institution of post-secondary education, the law states that “the rights accorded to and the consent required of the parent of the student shall thereafter only be accorded to and required of the eligible student.”