US federalRequired by lawFamily Educational Rights and Privacy

FERPA for school staff

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 8 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
30 min
Lessons
7 lessons
Frequency
At hire / before records access + annually
Last reviewed
8 Oct 2026
Case practice
What would you do?

University adviser Ms. Liang gets a call from a father demanding his 19-year-old's grades

Try it: this is one of 13 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 7 lessons, about 30 minutes
  • 1 video slot (you add the videos)
  • Scenario, tabs, flashcards, accordion and quizzes
  • 12-question final check, 80% to pass

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 9 slides
  • Quiz, poll, open-ended slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Built to the law Each objective names the requirement it comes from and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveRequired byWhere it's covered
TO 1.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessment-Whole course
LO 77.1.1Explain FERPA's purpose, the rights it gives parents and eligible students, and enforcement34 CFR 99.4, 99.5, 99.10, 99.20Lesson 1: Why FERPA exists
LO 77.2.1Distinguish education records, directory information and what is excluded (e.g. sole-possession notes)99.3, 99.37Lesson 2: What's covered
LO 77.3.1Decide when disclosure needs consent and when an exception applies99.30, 99.31, 99.36Lesson 3: Allowed vs not allowed
LO 77.4.1Handle records securely and log disclosures as required99.31(a)(1)(ii), 99.32Lesson 4: Handle records safely
LO 77.5.1Apply FERPA to common requests from parents, police, employers and colleagues99.31Lesson 5: Case practice
LO 77.6.1Escalate requests and suspected breaches to the right person + your infoinstitutional policyLesson 6: Escalate correctly

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 8 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

7 lessons, about 30 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

Why FERPA exists

3 pages

7 min
Before you beginNoteList
A grade list on the printerKey factImageVideo
Who holds the rightsTabsQuiz
2

What's covered

2 pages

5 min
Key definitionsFlashcards
Directory informationTextYour infoNoteYour infoMulti-select quiz
3

Allowed vs not allowed

2 pages

4 min
Common exceptionsAccordionKey fact
Sort itSorting activityQuiz
4

Handle records safely

2 pages

4 min
Duties and deadlinesTableChecklist
CheckQuiz
5

Case practice

2 pages

4 min
The worried parentScenario
The detective at the front deskScenarioQuiz
6

Escalate correctly

1 page

2 min
Who to askProcessYour infoYour infoNoteQuiz
7

Final assessment

Assessment

4 min
Final check12 questions80% to passCompletion page

Live deck and surveys

9 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

TitleTitle
PollHow often do you get asked for student information?
QuizAt what point do FERPA rights transfer to the student?
QuizIs a teacher's private memory-aid note an education record?
Content · customiseOur directory information list
QuizResponse deadline for access requests
Open-endedTrickiest request you've had?
ContentEmergency exception - what counts
Q&AQ&A, then closing
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How sure are you about handling these requests? grid
  6. Where do you most often handle student records? multiple choice
  7. Which FERPA question do you wish you had a quick answer for? short text
  8. Our tools and processes make it easy to protect student information. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find our FERPA policy and the directory-information opt-out list? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

8 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Directory info categories{{DIRECTORY_INFO_CATEGORIES}}
  • Opt out lookup{{OPT_OUT_LOOKUP}}
  • Ferpa compliance officer{{FERPA_COMPLIANCE_OFFICER}}
  • Breach reporting channel{{BREACH_REPORTING_CHANNEL}}
  • Whether the institution discloses to parents of tax-dependent students{{DEPENDENT_STUDENT_POLICY}}
  • Tools approved for student data{{APPROVED_TECH_TOOLS}}
Show all 8 fields
  • E.g. state laws that add duties{{STATE_STUDENT_PRIVACY_LAW}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run FERPA for school staff training online?

The course itself is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session. Whether online delivery meets your local rules depends on the law that applies to you, so check Family Educational Rights and Privacy or ask your own counsel.

How often is this training needed?

At hire / before records access + annually (best practice; FERPA has no statutory training mandate).

Who needs this training?

K-12 and postsecondary staff with access to education records - teachers, faculty, advisers, registrars, admin staff, counsellors, IT; student workers.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when. Check the retention period that applies to you in Family Educational Rights and Privacy.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply. Keep anything your own law requires you to cover.

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Last reviewed: 8 October 2026Based on: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck