With all the report cards, hall passes, doctors’ notes, and detention slips, we’ve all worried about what winds up in our record. Is it just grades and test scores, or does it include a comprehensive list of absences and demerits? Whether clipped in a manila folder in a basement filing cabinet or typed into an online database, we’ve all been concerned about our school slip-ups seeing the light of day.
Lucky for us, the Magnolia State has laws restricting who has access to both the good and the bad of our school records. Here is a brief overview of the privacy of school records laws in Mississippi.
General School Records Laws
State privacy of school records laws can function differently depending on where you live, but they generally limit access to school records to parents and school administrators only. Nationwide, the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) also protects the confidentiality students’ school records and determines the requirements for student records requests.
Privacy of School Records Laws in Mississippi
Mississippi law states that school officials may have access to a student’s records, but such records will not be available to the general public. Mississippi's privacy of school records statutes are listed in the table below.
| Code Section | Mississippi Code 37-15-3 |
| Who Has Access to School Records? | Governed by FERPA; records not available to the general public. |
| Penalty for Violation of School Record Privacy Laws | - |
Records Covered By Privacy Laws
Generally speaking, student privacy rights extend only to admissions information, education records, and conduct reports, and any disclosure of a student’s personal information to an unauthorized third party without his or her consent is prohibited. Students also have a right to be free from unreasonable intrusions into personal matters, although this protection exists to a lesser extent for students in a school setting.
Under the majority of state statutes, school administrators have a right to know and control the school environment that outweighs a student's privacy interest where the safety of other students and members of the community is at issue. Therefore, while disclosing a student’s confidential information is not permitted, limited searches of lockers, backpacks, or handbags normally is allowed.
Mississippi Privacy of School Records Laws: Related Resources
State and federal education laws are not always the easiest to understand. You can consult with a Mississippi education attorney if you would like legal assistance regarding a school records matter. You can also find more resources and information on this topic by visiting FindLaw’s section on School Privacy.
