A U.S. Education Department official expressed concern in a letter this week over an apparent loophole in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or Ferpa, that could allow colleges to view and release students’ counseling records.
The Oregonian reported on Saturday that Kathleen M. Styles, the department’s chief privacy officer, wrote a letter on Monday in reply to two Oregon Democrats who hadsought clarification of the federal law. The inquiries, from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, came after University of Oregon officials retrieved a student’s therapy records from a campus counseling center when she sued the university for violating her civil rights in a sexual-assault case. The dispute has resulted in a closely watched debate over student privacy.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/education-dept-official-responds-to-inquiry-into-release-of-students-therapy-records/100647