Understanding FERPA

Children in the juvenile justice system are at high-risk of falling behind educationally and dropping out of school. Responsible information-sharing can help address these problems. This publication explores how education records can be responsibly shared with juvenile justice staff under one relevant federal law, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The publication provides an overview of FERPA and a description of the provisions most pertinent to information-sharing with the juvenile justice system. Its appendix also provides examples of state authorizations of FERPA that may affect juvenile justice involved youth.