The Ramifications of the Conflict Between Campus Crime and The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

Abstract

Negligence with regard to the privacy and protection of student records led to the passage of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. By granting relatively liberal access of the record to the student or parent and limiting access to outside petties, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act has been hailed as a major success for student rights. Unforeseen to the creators of the Act, however, were the problems journalists would have in attaining information regarding campus crimes when school administrators began using the provisions under the Act to prevent the dissemination of campus crime information to affected individuals.