Which act is designed to protect the privacy of students' education records and controls sharing with third parties?

• A. COPPA
• B. CAN-SPAM
• C. FERPA
• D. FACTA

Answer: (C)

FERPA governs the privacy of students’ education records and sets rules about who can see them. It gives parents and eligible students the right to inspect and request amendments to records, and it generally requires written consent before a school can disclose those records to third parties, with specific exceptions for things like disclosures to school officials with a legitimate educational interest or when transferring records to another school. It also allows schools to designate certain information as directory information unless a family opts out. This framework ensures student information isn’t shared without permission, balancing privacy with legitimate educational needs.

COPPA, CAN-SPAM, and FACTA address different privacy areas—COPPA covers online data collection from young children, CAN-SPAM regulates commercial email, and FACTA relates to consumer credit information.