Final answer:
It is false that a student's educational records always require parental consent for disclosure until graduation or discharge from DOE, as students gain control at age 18 or upon entering postsecondary education. FERPA, state, and federal laws dictate the handling of PII and educational records, with nuances based on context and jurisdiction.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is false that consent to disclose a student's personally identifiable information (PII) or educational records must always come from a parent/guardian until the student graduates or is discharged from the Department of Education (DOE), regardless of the student's age. In fact, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) allows students who reach the age of 18 or attend a postsecondary institution to have control over their own educational records. Before these criteria are met, indeed, parental or guardian consent is typically required.
However, education laws like FERPA provide certain rights to parents regarding their children's educational records, which are transferred to the student at the age of 18 or when they attend a postsecondary institution. Hence, there's an important distinction here based on the student's age or educational status. Moreover, schools need to comply with local, state, and federal laws when disclosing information, including the protection and privacy concerns outlined by various legislation such as the Child Online Privacy Protection Act for online environments and Title IX regarding discrimination.