sole possession records are records that

Sole possession records are records that are kept in the sole possession of the maker, used only as a personal memory aid, and are not accessible or revealed to any other person except a temporary substitute for the maker. These are private notes created by a school official (such as a teacher or professor) for personal use only and are not part of the student's official educational records. Because they are not shared with others, these records are not covered by FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and students do not have the right to access them. However, if these records are shared or used in a decision-making process, they lose their "sole possession" status and become protected educational records under FERPA. Examples include personal notes about a student's class participation or progress kept only for the educator's own memory aids.