Parental Rights Relief Act

This bill amends the General Education Provisions Act to give parents and eligible students a private right to sue schools in federal court for violations of certain education-related privacy rights. It covers the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).

Sec. 2, Private rights of action under FERPA and PPRA: The bill requires the Secretary of Education to set up an office and review board within the Department to investigate and decide complaints about FERPA violations within 90 days. It then creates a new private right of action allowing a parent or a student who is at least 18 or in postsecondary education to sue an educational agency or institution in federal district court for declaratory relief, injunctive relief, or reasonable attorney's fees and costs. The person suing does not have to first use any administrative remedies. A court may let the Attorney General intervene if the case is of general public importance. The bill also makes the same changes for the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, giving parents or students who are at least 18 or an emancipated minor the same right to sue for violations, with the same rules about not needing to exhaust administrative remedies and possible Attorney General intervention.