Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

Further Update Regarding FERPA and AB 1955

The purpose of this letter is to share relevant updates to a communication that we shared with you on April 1, 2025.

As discussed in the California Department of Education (CDE) letter April 1, 2025, “Facts to Consider Regarding FERPA and AB 1955,” the U.S. Department of Education (ED) requested a response regarding any potential conflict between FERPA and AB 1955.

Today, the CDE has provided our response to ED, which includes that:

• Based on the plain text of both laws, there is no conflict between FERPA and AB 1955.
• Specifically, there is no conflict between the provisions of AB 1955 and a parent’s right to inspect and review their children’s education records, as defined in 20 U.S.C. § 1232g(a)(4), under FERPA.
• In addition, AB 1955 includes language requiring compliance with state and federal laws.

A copy of our response is attached, which includes additional resources and guidance that CDE has previously provided to all local educational agencies (LEAs) regarding compliance with both AB 1955 and FERPA. We will be following up separately with you regarding the CDE response to the ED March 28, 2025, additional communication to all Chief State Schools Officers and LEA superintendents regarding compliance with FERPA and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.

We recognize that the frequency and volume of federal actions related to education is disruptive to our schools at this critical time of year for our students. Again, we want to applaud all educators and school staff for their focus on moving the needle for student achievement, as well as for everything that you do to support our students, families, and school communities. We will continue to keep the field apprised of the CDE responses to federal action. An ongoing list of the CDE 2025 responses to federal actions is maintained on this web page: https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/fa.

If your LEA or school community experiences disruption or other direct impacts to educational services for students as a result of federal action, please continue to reach out to EdReliefFunds@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

David Schapira
Chief Deputy Superintendent
Chief of Staff
California Department of Education