Which of the following legal issues protects student information even from the student's parents (under applicable state law)?

• A. The Buckley Amendment
• B. The Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1976
• C. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• D. The American with Disabilities Act

Answer: (B)

The important idea here is protecting the privacy of substance use treatment records. The Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1976 established strong confidentiality protections for information in substance use disorder treatment programs. Under the implementing rules (often summarized as 42 CFR Part 2), treatment records cannot be disclosed to others—including a student’s parents—without the patient's explicit written consent, and only in limited, specific circumstances. This privacy framework is designed to encourage individuals to seek treatment by ensuring their information won’t be shared without their permission.

By contrast, FERPA (the Buckley Amendment) governs education records and generally allows parental access to a student’s educational records, with certain exceptions, but it doesn’t provide the same blanket protection for treatment records. Title IX focuses on gender discrimination in education, and the Americans with Disabilities Act addresses civil rights for people with disabilities; neither is about protecting confidential treatment information from parents.

So the option referencing the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1976 is the one that directly protects the confidentiality of such information from parental disclosure.