The role of FERPA is to enhance student achievement through greater parent involvement as well as protecting the private interests of students. Yet, the shift toward in loco parentis also comes with concerns related to educational records. More specifically, there is a concern about the extent to which large and powerful institutions obtain information to their advantage such as data that is gathered by researchers and policymakers. On the other hand there are concerns that relate to the university itself disclosing information. For example, under FERPA, the school can disclose information about students to parents if it includes alcohol and drug related incidents any time if they are under 21. Because of reasons like these, there is a concern that there may be "systematic disclosure policies" that become out of control and thus harm student rights and privacy.
