Parent urges district to release deceased student's records, citing federal guidance

A parent addressed the board during public comment on July 16, asking the district to release her deceased son’s education records. She told trustees the U.S. Department of Education’s position is that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) does not apply after a student’s death and said the district’s continued denial of records was “misleading and wrong.” The parent said she had provided the district with a celebration-of-life document and asked the board to cite any Wyoming state law or district policy that would justify withholding the records. She also asked how much the district has spent on outside legal counsel “to block me from accessing Jordan's records” and whether district staff had misapplied FERPA in communications after the student turned 18. The parent requested the district publicly name the legal basis for the denial, disclose any relevant FERPA training materials and indicate how many FERPA releases the district processed last year. She said other institutions, including Western Wyoming (College), had released records when asked and asked the board to “do the right thing” and release her son’s records. Board members did not announce an immediate change to the district’s position during the meeting. Staff acknowledged the comment and pointed to the district’s formal complaint process for personnel matters; no motion was taken at the meeting to change the district’s records practice. Why it matters: Access to student records after a death raises legal-privacy and procedural questions; the parent asked the board for a clear, written legal citation and for public accounting of any legal fees used to defend the district’s decision.