A Transgender Advocate's Guide to Updating and Amending School Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 C.F.R. §§ 99.00 et seq.) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student educational records. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s educational records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. (34 C.F.R. § 99.4-5).

Under FERPA, students, current or former, have a right to seek to amend their school records if said records are “inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student’s rights of privacy.” (34 C.F.R. § 99.7(a)(2)(ii)). Transgender students wishing to change their name and gender marker on their educational records can seek such an amendment under this federal law.

You may find an HTML version of this FAQ in our Know Your Rights: Transgender hub by clicking on this link.