I learned that FERPA is a very important federal law that ensures the privacy of students' educational records The Family Education Rights and. Students have specific, protected rights when it comes to the release of such records, and FERPA requires institutions to strictly adhere to these guidelines. FERPA is a federal law that is administered by the Department of Education's Family Compliance Office. It is intended to provide students' access to their academic records and An opportunity to request that the records be amended.