What type of data does the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act protect?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) specifically protects the educational records of students. This federal law grants parents and eligible students certain rights regarding the privacy of education records, ensuring that personally identifiable information is kept confidential. Under FERPA, educational records include a wide range of data such as grades, course schedules, disciplinary records, and other information directly related to a student.

While there may be aspects of other choices that touch on privacy requirements, only educational records fall directly under the protection of FERPA. For example, medical records are protected by different laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Financial aid information, although sensitive, is covered under separate regulations rather than FERPA. Employment records, too, are governed by different privacy laws and do not fall under the purview of FERPA's focus on educational records. Thus, the correct answer emphasizes the law's specific intent to safeguard the privacy of students' educational information.