How Do You Stay FERPA Compliant? A Cybersecurity Guide for IT Leaders

What Is FERPA and Why It Matters to IT Leaders

Bridging compliance and cybersecurity in the education sector

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1974 to safeguard student education records. It applies to all educational institutions that receive federal funding—including public K–12 schools, colleges, and universities.

Originally focused on physical records, FERPA now applies to digital data, learning platforms, and third-party vendors. As education continues to shift online in 2025, IT leaders must ensure both access management and cybersecurity controls meet FERPA’s privacy expectations.

In just the last year, education was the sixth-most breached sector, following healthcare, government and defense, financial services, tech, and retail, according to SecurityScorecard research.

A FERPA breach can result in regulatory action, reputational harm, and loss of funding. But just as critically, breaches can erode trust with students, families, and faculty.

What FERPA Protects

FERPA protects “education records”—information directly related to the student and which the educational institution maintains. Examples include:

• Transcripts and grades
• Disciplinary records
• Student schedules
• Immunization records
• Financial information

Students (or parents, if the student is under 18) have the right to inspect, request corrections, and control disclosures of these records.

Why Cybersecurity Is Central to FERPA Compliance

FERPA does not specify which security controls to implement—but it does require institutions to “use reasonable methods” to protect data from unauthorized access or disclosure, such as cyber-enabled theft or leaks. In 2025, this means cybersecurity is inseparable from compliance. As institutions shift to cloud-based platforms and digital-first learning, shoring up security is central to FERPA compliance.

FERPA breach scenarios can include:

• Remote learning platforms leaking student data
• Misconfigured cloud storage buckets with unrestricted access
• Phishing attacks targeting student credentials
• Over-permissioned teacher or staff accounts
• Vendor mismanagement of sensitive records

A single misstep in platform security or access control can trigger a FERPA violation—and a broader investigation into institutional cybersecurity practices.

Core Security Requirements for FERPA Readiness

While FERPA doesn’t mandate alignment with frameworks like NIST or the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls, many schools voluntarily adopt them. Best practices that could help decrease the risk of a breach or leak can include:

Access control and authentication

• Use role-based access for student data
• Enforce multifactor authentication (MFA) for staff and administrators
• Immediately revoke access when roles change or users leave

Audit logging and monitoring

• Log all access to education records
• Monitor for unauthorized access attempts or credential misuse
• Feed logs into a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform for incident detection

Data encryption

• Encrypt student records both at rest and in transit
• Use secure transfer protocols instead of email attachments
• Ensure edtech vendors also encrypt data they store or process

Vendor management

• Require vendors to include FERPA clauses in contracts
• Vet platforms for cybersecurity posture and breach history
• Mandate incident response procedures and notification timelines

Staff training

• Provide annual training on FERPA requirements
• Include phishing simulations and cybersecurity basics
• Tailor content for different user roles

Common FERPA Pitfalls in 2025

Sending student data over email
Grades or schedules sent unencrypted over email.

Over-permissioned accounts
Teachers or support staff retaining admin-level access beyond their role, increasing accidental disclosure risk.

Unvetted vendor tools
Schools adopting platforms without proper IT review, especially under pressure from remote learning demands.

Lack of centralized monitoring
Without consolidated logging or visibility across platforms, unusual access patterns can go undetected.

Weak incident response planning
FERPA requires institutions to use “reasonable methods” to secure data. Failure to prepare for breaches leaves schools out of compliance.

Best Practices to Strengthen FERPA Compliance

Conduct an annual FERPA security risk assessment
Map where student data is stored, how it flows, and who can access it. Identify gaps across both internal systems and third-party platforms.

Classify data by sensitivity
Consider applying stricter controls to sensitive data like health records or disciplinary information.

Harden endpoint security
Apply protections to all faculty and student devices, including antivirus and secure configuration policies.

Document a FERPA-aligned security policy
Formalize your access control, vendor review, incident response, and acceptable use procedures. Update policies regularly.

Continuously monitor third-party exposure
Monitor and identify vendors with breach indicators or outdated infrastructure to detect issues early and strengthen contract oversight. Breach history can be an indicator of future breaches in some cases.

FERPA and EdTech Vendors: Shared Responsibility

FERPA places the legal burden of compliance on the educational institution—not the vendor. That means IT leaders must consider the amount of visibility, transparency, and trust maintained with third parties and take appropriate action to shore up risk:

• Sign data-sharing agreements or FERPA-specific contract addendums
• Vet vendors for encryption, access controls, and breach history
• Require vendors to report breaches or policy violations immediately
• Terminate vendor access when no longer needed or when standards aren’t met

Final Thoughts: FERPA Is a Cybersecurity Mandate

Although FERPA was enacted before the smartphone and tablet made their way into classrooms, in 2025, FERPA compliance means securing cloud platforms, enforcing access controls, managing vendor risk, and preparing for breach scenarios.

IT leaders in education must champion FERPA compliance as part of a broader cybersecurity strategy. That includes mapping data flows, assessing partners and third parties, and training every stakeholder—not just IT. Institutions can use SecurityScorecard’s MAX services for Supply Chain Detection and Response (SCDR) to prioritize remediation and proactively mitigate risk.

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