Which statement best describes an education record?

Which statement best describes an education record?

• A. A record that contains personally identifiable information directly related to the student and is maintained by an educational institution
• B. A private note kept by a teacher that is never shared
• C. A law enforcement file
• D. A parent's home address

Answer: (A)

Education records are files that contain information directly related to a student and are kept by the school or by someone acting on behalf of the school. This means the school controls and maintains the record, and the information is about the student, such as grades, transcripts, attendance, or other student-specific data. The best statement describes a record that contains personally identifiable information directly related to the student and is maintained by the educational institution. That captures both the content (directly related to the student and includes identifiable information) and the custodian (the institution or someone acting for it). A private note kept by a teacher that isn’t shared isn’t maintained by the school for access or management, so it doesn’t fit the definition. A law enforcement file is typically outside the education-record category. A parent’s home address, by itself, isn’t an education record unless it’s part of a file the school maintains about the student.

Education records are files that contain information directly related to a student and are kept by the school or by someone acting on behalf of the school. This means the school controls and maintains the record, and the information is about the student, such as grades, transcripts, attendance, or other student-specific data.

The best statement describes a record that contains personally identifiable information directly related to the student and is maintained by the educational institution. That captures both the content (directly related to the student and includes identifiable information) and the custodian (the institution or someone acting for it).

A private note kept by a teacher that isn’t shared isn’t maintained by the school for access or management, so it doesn’t fit the definition. A law enforcement file is typically outside the education-record category. A parent’s home address, by itself, isn’t an education record unless it’s part of a file the school maintains about the student.