Protecting Student Privacy Act of 2015
Latest action (13 May 2015): Introduced
What this bill does
Generate a neutral, plain-English explanation of what this bill does, who it affects and what happens next — grounded in the official text.
Official summary
Protecting Student Privacy Act of 2015
Amends the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 to prohibit programs administered by the Department of Education from making funds available to any educational agency or institution that has not implemented information security policies that: (1) protect personally identifiable information (PII) from education records, and (2) require each outside party to whom PII from education records is disclosed to have a comprehensive security program to protect such information.
Defines "outside party" as a person that is not an employee, officer, or volunteer of the educational agency or institution or of a government agency. Includes within such term any contractor or consultant acting as a school official or authorized representative or in any other capacity.
Prohibits such funds from being made available to any educational agency or institution that has a policy or practice of using, releasing, or providing access to PII to advertise or market a product or service.
Requires state agencies receiving such funds, and each educational agency or institution, to ensure that any outside party with access to such records: (1) provides parents access to any PII it holds about their students; (2) provides a process to challenge, correct, or delete any inaccurate, misleading, or inappropriate data through a hearing by the agency or institution providing the outside party with access; (3) maintains a record of all individuals, agencies, or organizations that have requested or obtained access to the education records of a student; and (4) has information security procedures in place.
Prohibits funds from being made available to any educational agency or institution, or any state educational agency, unless the agency or institution has a practice that: (1) promotes data minimization by meeting requests for student information with non-PII, and (2) requires that PII held by any outside party be destroyed when the information is no longer needed for the specified purpose.
Directs educational agencies and institutions to maintain a record of all outside parties which have requested or obtained access to a student's education records. Requires such record to describe the information shared and to indicate specifically the party's legitimate interest in obtaining this information.
Common questions
- What does S. 1322 do?
- Protecting Student Privacy Act of 2015 Amends the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 to prohibit programs administered by the Department of Education from making funds available to any educational agency or institution that has not implemented information security policies that: (1) protect personally identifiable information (PII) from education records, and (2) require each outside party to whom PII from education records is disclosed to have a comprehensive security program to protect such information. Defines "outside party" as a person that is not an employee, officer, or volunteer of the educational agency or institution or of a government agency. Includes within such term any contractor or consultant acting as a school official or authorized representative or in any other capacity. Prohibits such funds from being made available to any educational agency or institution that has a policy or practice of using, releasing, or providing access to PII to advertise or market a product or service. Requires state agencies receiving such funds, and each educational agency or institution, to ensure that any outside party with access to such records: (1) provides parents access to any PII it holds about their students; (2) provides a process to challenge, correct, or delete any inaccurate, misleading, or inappropriate data through a hearing by the agency or institution providing the outside party with access; (3) maintains a record of all individuals, agencies, or organizations that have requested or obtained access to the education records of a student; and (4) has information security procedures in place. Prohibits funds from being made available to any educational agency or institution, or any state educational agency, unless the agency or institution has a practice that: (1) promotes data minimization by meeting requests for student information with non-PII, and (2) requires that PII held by any outside party be destroyed when the information is no longer needed for the specified purpose. Directs educational agencies and institutions to maintain a record of all outside parties which have requested or obtained access to a student's education records. Requires such record to describe the information shared and to indicate specifically the party's legitimate interest in obtaining this information.
- Has S. 1322 become law?
- Not yet. As of 13 May 2015, S. 1322 is introduced.
- Who sponsored S. 1322?
- S. 1322 was sponsored by Sen. Edward “Ed” Markey [D-MA] (Democrat-MA), with 2 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on S. 1322?
- Introduced (13 May 2015).
Related bills in Education
Expressing support for the designation of the week of September 13 through September 19, 2026, as “Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week”.
Data Science and Literacy Act of 2026
To direct the Secretary of Education to conduct a study on the efforts of States, local educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools to educate students about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and for other purposes.
Expressing support for the designation of September 2026 as National Campus Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Bill100 mirrors the public U.S. legislative record from Congress.gov and GovTrack and adds plain-English AI summaries. It is an information tool, not legal, compliance or lobbying advice, and it is not affiliated with the U.S. Congress or any government agency. AI summaries can simplify or omit detail — every bill links to the official source; verify there before you rely on it.