Most of the proof in an ordinary case is held by somebody who is not involved in it. An agency has the file, a hospital has the chart, a former employer has the personnel record, a bank has the statements. Each of them answers to a different rule about who may ask, what the request has to say, how long they have, what they may charge and what they may withhold. This subject sets out how each kind of holder works, and what a person can do when a request is refused, redacted or answered with nothing.
Education records are held by the institution and controlled by the parent while the student is a minor in school, transferring to the student on reaching majority or on enrolling in higher education. The controlling person may inspect, may request correction, and must consent to most disclosures. Some categories, including directory information and law enforcement records, sit outside the regime.
