Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act As districts and entire states move to large-scale networked services for record keeping, building administrators may become less involved with selecting the hardware and software that will keep these records secure. However, issues concerning student data will arise and must be handled at every level, including how teachers and staff access information from their classrooms or office. Schools that utilize electronic media for record keeping must still follow guidelines for the storage and disclosure of student information set forth by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Schools must notify parents annually that records can be reviewed and must be able to comply with this request within 45 days. Network-based data management records should support these requests. Also, schools are still required to obtain written permission from a parent or legal guardian to release student records. There are some records, usually those that fall under the label of "directory" information, that can be distributed under some conditions—even on a Web page. Faculty and staff should fully understand policies concerning access to student data and must take great care in accessing and retrieving data. Schools should consider the levels of access that will be provided to faculty and staff members and should enforce policies for sharing this data. The Legislation Schools should already be familiar with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) but should understand that provisions in this legislation extend to electronic systems. For further information concerning FERPA, view highlights of the legislation visit the Family Policy Compliance Office of the U.S. Department of Education.