---
title: "Prepare the file for a FERPA education-record request"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/education-law/prepare-the-file-for-a-student-record-access-request/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A59-PU20261022-5-US"
practice_area: "Education Law"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Prepare the file for a FERPA education-record request

> From the request and the record list, note who asked, the date the request was received, whether the requester is a parent or an eligible student, and which education records are asked for.…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/education-law/prepare-the-file-for-a-student-record-access-request/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Education Law](https://ailawframework.com/practice/education-law.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the request and the record list, note who asked, the date the request was received, whether the requester is a parent or an eligible student, and which education records are asked for. Do not decide to grant or refuse access, and do not write the letter that goes out. |
| What the lawyer must review | You decide who may inspect and what is produced, and you write any letter. 34 CFR 99.1 applies where funds have been made available under a program administered by the Secretary, if the institution provides educational services or instruction, or the agency directs and controls public elementary or secondary or postsecondary institutions. Section 99.3 defines education records as records directly related to a student and maintained by the agency or institution or a party acting for it, and an eligible student as a student who has reached 18 or is attending a postsecondary institution. Section 99.5 transfers the parents' rights when the student becomes an eligible student. Section 99.4 gives full rights to either parent unless a court order, State statute, or legally binding document specifically revokes them. Section 99.10 requires compliance within a reasonable time and not more than 45 days after receipt, and a copy where circumstances effectively prevent inspection. Section 99.11 allows a copy fee unless it effectively prevents inspection, and forbids a fee to search for or retrieve records. Section 99.12(a) limits a record naming more than one student to the information about the requesting student. Section 99.30 requires a signed and dated written consent, specifying the records, the purpose, and the recipient, before disclosure of personally identifiable information, except as section 99.31 provides. The Department's short FERPA note states the same transfer of rights and points to 20 U.S.C. 1232g and 34 CFR Part 99. Read section 99.31 before a disclosure without consent. A State privacy statute may add a step. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Prepare the file for a student-record access request](https://ailawframework.com/practice/education-law/prepare-the-file-for-a-student-record-access-request.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: From the request and the record list, note who asked, the date the request was received, whether the requester is a parent or an eligible student, and which education records are asked for. Do not decide to grant or refuse access, and do not write the letter that goes out.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- The 45 days run from receipt of the request.
- Rights sit with the parent until the student is an eligible student, unless a document specifically revokes a parent's rights.
- Read 34 CFR 99.31 before treating a disclosure as allowed without consent.

## Sources

- [34 CFR Part 99, Family Educational Rights and Privacy, as republished by the Student Privacy Policy Office](https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/ferpa) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [What is FERPA, Student Privacy Policy Office](https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/faq/what-ferpa) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*