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Supreme Court on FERPA, Part 2

Earlier this year, the United States Supreme Court ruled that peer grading of papers does not violate the Family Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA).  In another opinion dealing with FERPA, the Supreme Court has ruled that individuals do not have the right to bring a lawsuit to enforce the privacy provisions of the statute. 

Individuals who believe a school has violated FERPA’s provisions can file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) created by the Secretary of Education. If the FPCO determines a violation has occurred, it issues a statement of the steps the institution must take to comply with the statute.  Failure to comply can result in the withholding of federal funds from the institution.  Individual students and/or their parents may not file a lawsuit against the school. 

Previous articles dealing with this issue:

• Supreme Court OKs peer grading of student papers

• Beware of Peer Grading