Buckley amendment

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. This amendment, most often referred to as the "Buckley Amendment," became law on November 19, 1974. Simply stated, the law provides college students with the right to seek access to their school records and the right to inspect the same institutional records.

In this regard, the law requires that students be informed of their rights within the stated provisions of the law. All UNCW students are to be informed that in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 the following student rights will be adhered to on this campus:

• The right of the student to "inspect and review" his or her institutional records.
• The right of "an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of their school records."
• The right of privacy for student records.

Parents who provide more than half of a student's financial support may have access to academic information if the "Parent's Request for Academic Eligibility Information" form is on file in the appropriate dean's office or in the Center for Academic Advising. Students may authorize access to other individuals only through a written consent form signed by the student. These forms remain in the student's file. Faculty should not discuss a student's performance with anyone unless the form is signed.

It follows from this Amendment that a faculty member should not post grades by using students' names, social security numbers, or any other symbols that could divulge the identity of the students. It also follows that faculty should not announce the names of students and the grades they made on tests in class or leave graded material in public areas (e.g., halls) for student pick-up.

A statement concerning student records, including procedures for inspecting, reviewing and amending records, is provided in the UNCW Student Handbook and Code of Student Life.