FERPA_FOLO.ART_ART_06-07-09_A1_URE3QFM.html?sid=101
“SECRECY 101″ June 7, 2009
The link above leads to a case that involves an unworthy law. This law kept a father from knowing important details about his son’s living arrangements at the University of Kansas dorms. What they call the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act” (FERPA) has been abused in recent years by such colleges that wish to hide unappealing conditions lived by residing students. For instance, many of them use FERPA to hide the rate of sexual assaults on campus, and many others use it to conceal such acts made by college athletes, coaches and rogue boosters that would be considered breaking the rules. Anyway, one abuse after another, and finally, the father of a freshman Jason Wren was unable to save his son from alcohol abuse, who is now dead, thanks to FERPA. It makes no sense that such information would be confidential from parents of financial-dependent children. When a consequence as big as a life results from bad decision-making then obviously the law has not been wielded by the right people. Other than FERPA, I think that many laws are being misinterpreted and used against the public. The government, and we ourselves, should speak up to whatever problems we find so that we can prevent it from resulting in irreversible damage.
This case involves Privacy/Intrusion and First Amendment/censorship.
