Fairfax County Public Schools' FERPA and PPRA “Assurance of Compliance” Letter Raises Serious Red Flags (and FCPS' FERPA Noncompliance Continues)
FCPS' assurance letter reveals a defensive posture, includes questionable claims, and shows a troubling lack of accountability—and conflicts with the reality of its continued noncompliance
April 29, 2025, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) submitted a required "Assurance of Compliance" with two federal privacy laws: the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA)—but the document raises more questions than it answers.
While FCPS claims to comply with FERPA and PPRA, its assurance letter reveals a defensive posture, includes questionable claims, and shows a troubling lack of accountability—even more notable because they come from a district with a documented history of privacy violations and unfulfilled promises to improve.
What is the Assurance Letter?
March 28, 2025, U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) issued a letter to chief state school officers and superintendents, in which it outlined requirements for assurances of compliance with FERPA and PPRA:
“Assurance of Compliance. As part of SPPO’s fulfillment of the Secretary’s priority to take proactive action to enforce FERPA, pursuant to the authority under 20 U.S.C. §1232g(f), 34 CFR §§ 99.60 and 99.62, SPPO is requesting that each SEA submit no later than April 30, 2025, documentation such as “reports, information on policies and procedures, annual notifications, training materials or other information necessary” to provide assurance that the SEA and their respective LEAs are complying with the provisions of FERPA and PPRA, specifically with regard to the priority concerns previously discussed.”
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon issued a separate letter introducing SPPO’s directive and emphasized that it “reminds educational institutions receiving federal financial assistance that they are obligated to abide by FERPA and PPRA if they expect federal funding to continue.”