Parental and Student Privacy and Information Rights

Information Regarding Your Survey

If you found this page without taking our survey, please take the time to complete the Parent Complaint Navigator Survey.

Where to start

Parents and students are entitled to certain rights regarding student information under federal and state laws (for example, Texas Education Code Chapter 26).

If you believe your child's private information is being released, withheld, or gathered without your permission, you may raise your concern through your school.  Most district or charter school's grievance procedures are posted online and included in student handbooks. 

  • Timelines are generally 30 days to file a formal grievance, or up to 90 days if you first tried to resolve the issue informally.
  • Districts of Innovation (DOIs) and open-enrollment charter school timelines are generally 10 to 15 days of when you first became aware of the issue. 

You may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO).  SPPO’s complaints assistance webpage explains who may file a complaint and applicable deadlines.  Complaint forms are available in English and Spanish. 

Another option is to file a complaint with TEA because an educator has released your student's confidential or identifiable information using the General Education Complaint Form. 

Depending on the situation, TEA may:

  • Assist you and the district working directly together through TEA's Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), which helps resolve concerns without a formal investigation; or,
  • If a solution is not reached, review whether the district is following required laws and policies. 

If you need help, we are here

If you have questions after reviewing this information, a TEA parent liaison can help:

When you leave a voicemail or send an email, please include your first and last name, your phone number, your question, and any relevant details. 

Helpful Tips

  • By law, TEA can only investigate Texas educators for releasing confidential or identifiable student information if they are certified.  If you would like to check whether the person you are reporting holds a Texas education certification, you can search this database using their legal first and last name. 

TEA Resources 

External Resources