How should athletic departments handle FERPA and other privacy requirements for student-athlete records?

• A. Maintain confidentiality, obtain consent when required, and limit disclosures to authorized individuals.
• B. Publicly disclose all records to ensure transparency.
• C. Share records with media upon request without consent.
• D. Archive records without access controls.

Answer: (A)

Protecting student-athlete privacy under FERPA means keeping education records confidential, sharing only with people who have a legitimate educational interest, and obtaining consent before releasing identifiable information when required. Athletic departments should restrict access to records to authorized staff (such as coaches and administrators who need the information to support academics, eligibility, or health and safety), implement clear procedures for obtaining consent, and only disclose information in ways permitted by FERPA or with the student’s explicit permission. Publicly disclosing all records or sharing them with the media without consent would breach privacy protections, and archiving records without proper access controls creates unnecessary risk. The approved approach balances transparency with legal privacy requirements and ensures information is shared only on a need-to-know basis.