The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act: A Legal Overview

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 guarantees parental access to student education records, while limiting the disclosure of those records to third parties. The act, sometimes referred to as the Buckley Amendment, responded to parents' growing concerns over privacy and the belief that parents should have the right to learn about the information schools were using to make decisions concerning their children. This report provides an overview of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act's statutory provisions, as well as discusses several court cases that have clarified the statute's requirements