DCLPublicationDate: 5/1/95 DCLID: CB-95-7 AwardYear: Summary: Changes to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) May 1995 CB-95-7 TO REGISTRAR/LEGAL COUNSEL/LAW ENFORCEMENT UNIT CHIEF - ALL POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS The final regulations implementing changes to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) were published in the Federal Register on January 17, 1995. The changes to the regulations were necessary to implement a statutory amendment made to FERPA by the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 which allows educational agencies and institutions to publicly disclose records created and maintained by school law enforcement units. Previously, those records generally could not be released to anyone but local law enforcement officials. In case you did not see the notice in the Federal Register, enclosed is a copy. Also enclosed is a Customer Survey concerning FERPA. I hope that you will take the time to respond to the questions on the survey. The Department of Education, along with other Federal agencies, is presently undergoing a Regulatory Reinvention Initiative. As part of this initiative, we are contacting some of our customers around the country to determine how the FERPA statute and regulations are perceived by those most directly affected by the law. The Department is particularly interested in how our regulatory and enforcement activities can be modified to achieve the greatest flexibility and least burden possible. Your response to this survey will be an important part of a detailed review we are conducting of FERPA. Feel free to make copies for appropriate officials at your institution to complete. Please return your completed survey no later than June 1. Should you have any questions regarding the enclosed regulations and survey in particular or FERPA in general, you may contact: Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education 600 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-4605 (202) 260-3887 Sincerely, LeRoy S. Rooker Director Family Policy Compliance Office Enclosures |