Federal Law: The most essential source of United States law is of course the Constitution of the United States of America. Statutes (the United States Code) and Regulations (the Code of Federal Regulations) may be found at the following links and also in Lexis Advance, WestLaw and Bloomberg Law. Print versions of these resources are generally available in the Library’s collection; consult the Library’s Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) or a Reference Librarian:
The Constitution of the United States of America.
United States Code; United States Code Annotated (U.S.C.A. on Westlaw); United States Code Service (U.S.C.S. on Lexis Advanced).
Code of Federal Regulations and e-CFR.
Federal Register: Use the Federal Register (published daily) and the List of CFR Sections Affected (LSA) to research the latest changes to federal regulations.
Federal Cases: Depending upon the forum and the claims involved in the particular case, a researcher may need to find State and/or Federal cases to fully research their issue.
West Digest System: Use the West Key Number System online to find cases relevant to educational and privacy issues (see, e.g., West Topic Number 141E, Education).
Court websites (selected Federal courts):
Supreme Court of the United States
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Court websites for other jurisdictions in the United States are available online.
Selected Federal statutes and regulations regarding the privacy of educational records are presented below. Other federal statutes and regulations may be relevant to specific inquires in this area. Research these materials using the resources featured here, or consult a Reference Librarian for further assistance.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998
Family Educational Rights and Privacy, 34 CFR Part 99
Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule, 16 CFR Part 312 ("COPPA")
State laws relevant to education and privacy will vary; Pennsylvania law is featured below. Resources for researching the law of other states are available in the Law Library and by using the databases presented here. Consult a Reference Librarian for assistance in researching the laws of the several states.
Pennsylvania Case Law: Pennsylvania state court opinions are published in various official and unofficial court reporters, and are available online on Westlaw, Lexis Advance, and Bloomberg Law. Opinions may also be available on the relevant court’s website:
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas: Opinions
Pennsylvania Case Opinion Databases:
Pennsylvania Statutes and Regulations: Pennsylvania statutes and administrative rules have numerous provisions dealing with education law and with privacy issues. Below are some selected provisions; others can be found through further research using the resources featured in this Guide:
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Annotated (Reserve: KFP30 1930 .A44).
Pennsylvania Statutes & Court Rules:
Pennsylvania Statutes: Title 24. Education
Public School Code of 1949 24 P.S. §§ 1-101-27-2702
Pennsylvania Regulations (Pennsylvania Code): The Pennsylvania Code is Pennsylvania's official publication of rules and regulations governing the operation's of state agencies.
The Pennsylvania Bulletin is Pennsylvania's official weekly publication noting changes to state court rules, executive orders, and agency regulations and notices.
The following are a selection of Congressional hearings on issues of educational privacy and technology available in the Villanova Law Library collection. Consult a Reference Library for assistance with accessing and using this material.
How data mining threatens student privacy : joint hearing before the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives and the Subcommittee on Ea by How emerging technology affects student privacy : hearing before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, first by