What defines an eligible student under educational privacy laws?

An eligible student is defined for the purposes of educational privacy laws as a student who is either 18 years of age or older or someone who is attending a postsecondary institution, such as a college or university. This definition is significant because it marks the transition of educational rights from parents or guardians to the students themselves, particularly concerning access to their educational records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

This means that once a student reaches the age of 18 or begins their higher education, they gain the authority to control who can access their education records and what information can be shared. This change works to protect the privacy of students as they transition into adulthood and begin to make their own choices regarding their personal and educational information.

The other options do not encompass the full definition of an eligible student under FERPA. For instance, being under 18 years old or still in high school does not grant a student the same rights as those defined under educational privacy laws for eligible students. Additionally, while a student with a disability may also be covered by certain protections, this characteristic alone does not determine their status as an eligible student under the specified legal framework.