Open Government Guide

  Published by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

  Purchase a print or electronic copy • Jump to front page

Open Records

   IV. RECORD CATEGORIES -- OPEN OR CLOSED

      O. School and university records.

         3. Student records.


Elementary school pupil records are generally exempt. Cal. Ed. Code § 49073-76. Community college student records (Cal. Ed. Code § 67243) and university student records (Cal. Ed. Code § 76143) are also generally exempt. See Porten v. University of San Francisco, 64 Cal. App. 3d 825, 134 Cal. Rptr. 839 (1976)(recognizing state constitutional right of privacy in student records); see also Rim of the World Unif. Sch. Dist. v. Superior Court, 104 Cal. App. 4th 1393, 129 Cal. Rptr. 2d 11 (2003)(holding federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act preempted state statute requiring disclosure of student expulsion records).



Submit a comment

Have a tip or suggestion for other readers regarding this section? Please pass it on by filling out the form below. Entries may be shortened, edited, or even deleted if we feel they are not helpful to journalists or media attorneys using open records laws.

Name (what you want displayed):

Comment:

Please note: comments with hyperlinks will be held pending approval.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is pleased to make this comprehensive guide available to you at no cost. We hope you will find it useful and consider buying a copy (or just contributing directly) to help underwrite our efforts and enable us to keep producing publications that help journalists overcome the daily legal hurdles they encounter.

© 2006, 2001, 1997, 1993, 1989 The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100, Arlington, VA 22209. Phone: (703) 807-2100 • (Contact us.) See copyright page for reprint information for classroom or nonprofit use.