Gonzaga University v. John Doe

The Supreme Court in late June 2002 issued a decision in Gonzaga University v. John Doe. The Court ruled that individuals have no right to file a lawsuit against educational institutions that violate the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by releasing confidential, protected information from education records. The decision dealt only with those provisions of FERPA regarding the release of personally-identifiable information to unauthorized persons. Whether FERPA provisions regarding parent and student access to education records may be enforced through a private lawsuit remains an open question.

After the Gonzaga decision, a complaint to the U.S. Department of Education/Family Policy Compliance Office is parents