What is FERPA and what does it have to do with Georgia Tech?
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), also know as the Buckley Amendment, 1974 as amended, is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Institutions that receive Federal funding under one of the applicable programs administered by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education are required to enforce FERPA. Georgia Tech is a recipient of this funding. It receives Federal grants and contracts and its financial aid office administers programs such as the Pell Grant and the Stafford Loan. Compliance with FERPA is not an option; it is a requirement under Federal law. There are aspects of FERPA that affect faculty and staff on a daily basis. One of those is simply understanding that it is a requirement under Federal law. Another is to understand what is meant by “legitimate educational interest”. Faculty and staff have access to student education records because they need it to perform their duties as instructors, academic advisors, and other
