Use and Disclosure Limits -- Educational Records

The Educational Records Privacy Act prohibits colleges and universities from disclosing personally identifiable information (PII) without written consent of the student. Exceptions include:

(1) disclosure to a parent/guardian of information regarding use or possession of controlled substances regardless of whether that information is contained in the student's education records if the student is under the age of 21 and the institution determines that the student has committed a disciplinary violation with respect to such use or possession;

(2) disclosure to an alleged victim of a violent/sexual crime of the final results of any disciplinary proceeding conducted by such institution against a student who is an alleged perpetrator.

The law requires schools to keep an audit trail of who requested the student's records and what the requester's interest was.