FERPA (Family Education Right to Privacy Act) is applicable to both public and private schools. Mentioning that the son or daughter of a friend saw Mr. or Mrs. Coach at a school is a fair and legal thing to do, but providing information that points to a release of privileged information (transfer paperwork, transcripts, etc) by the administrative staff or faculty could very quickly put that school under investigation if the wrong person gets pissed off. If you do get that information, find a way to convey the information without leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for the Department of Education to follow or your friend or friend of a friend may be fired, lose their teaching or administrative license, and potentially be sued for damages.
