What law allows a parent who is incarcerated to have access to their child's educational records?

• A. IDEA
• B. HIPAA
• C. ESEA
• D. FERPA

Answer: (D)

FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, is the law that gives parents the right to access their child’s education records and to review and request amendments to those records. This protection applies regardless of the parent’s incarceration status, as long as the request is for records the school maintains and follows FERPA’s access procedures. The rights under FERPA are specifically about education records and disclosure, which is why it is the relevant law here. HIPAA governs health information, IDEA covers special education procedures, and ESEA focuses on accountability and funding—areas that don’t grant or govern general access to educational records in the same way FERPA does.