FERPA Compliance Guide (Updated 2026) | UpGuard

This document explains FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), detailing student and parent rights, the definition of education records, common FERPA violations, potential penalties, and practical cybersecurity controls schools should implement—such as following security frameworks, installing firewalls and anti-malware, performing risk assessments, encrypting data, enforcing access controls, logging activity, and providing annual FERPA updates—to protect student data and maintain compliance.