Grandparent Access to School Records in California: FERPA and State Law

Relative Caregivers Get Full Records Access

If you are a qualified relative who has completed Items 1–8 of the Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit under Family Code Sections 6550–6552, you hold full authority to inspect, review, and request copies of the child's educational records. This includes cumulative academic files, special education evaluations, behavioral records, and disciplinary logs.

Both federal law (FERPA, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g) and California law (Education Code Sections 49069 and 49076) recognize your authority. You are treated as a parent for records purposes because the affidavit establishes you as the child's primary caregiver with educational decision-making authority.

How to Request Records

Submit a written request to the school's registrar or principal specifying what you need — report cards, transcripts, IEP documents, disciplinary files, or the full cumulative folder. Under Education Code Section 49069, the school district must provide access within five business days of your written request.

You do not need to explain why you want the records. You do not need the biological parent's permission. Bring a copy of your completed affidavit if the school does not already have one on file.

Non-Relative Caregivers Have Limited Access

If you are a non-relative caregiver who completed only Items 1–4 of the affidavit, your records access is more restricted. You can access enrollment records and school-related healthcare records — the information tied to your authority over school attendance and school-medical care. Full cumulative academic records, behavioral files, and special education documents are outside your scope.

This is one of the significant practical differences between relative and non-relative caregiver status. If you need full records access and you are not a statutory relative, a parent-signed authorization or a formal guardianship order is necessary.

What About Digital Portals?

Most California school districts use online parent portals (Aeries, PowerSchool, Infinite Campus) for grades, attendance, and communication. Getting portal access as a kinship caregiver requires the school to set up a parent account linked to the child's record.

Some districts create this automatically when you enroll the child with an affidavit. Others require a separate request to the school's IT or registrar office. If the district resists, cite your authority under Education Code Section 49069 and ask the principal or District Student Services Director to authorize portal access.

One complication: if the biological parent also has a portal account, the system may flag a conflict. Both you and the parent are legally entitled to records access (parental rights are not terminated by the affidavit), so both accounts should remain active. If the school tries to deactivate your access because the parent objects, escalate to the district's enrollment supervisor — the affidavit gives you independent standing.

Transferring Records Between Schools

When a child changes schools — common during kinship placements — the new district is required to immediately enroll the child and request records directly from the prior school. You do not need to physically transport transcripts or vaccination records yourself.

If the prior school is slow to transfer records, you can sign a release authorizing the transfer and provide it to both schools. The receiving school cannot delay enrollment or class placement while waiting for records to arrive.

For the full picture of your educational authority — school enrollment, IEP rights, records access, and how to handle districts that push back — see our California school and medical consent guide.

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