Which act mandates privacy regulations for student education records?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is the correct choice as it specifically governs the privacy of student education records. Enacted in 1974, FERPA provides students and their families certain rights regarding access to their educational records. Under FERPA, educational institutions receiving federal funding must ensure the confidentiality of student records and allow students to review their records, request amendments, and control disclosures of personal information.

The significance of FERPA lies in its focus on protecting the privacy of students and ensuring that individuals and organizations handling educational records adhere to strict guidelines. This act applies to all institutions that receive federal funding, including public schools and universities, thus making it a crucial regulation in the context of education.

The other acts mentioned do not pertain specifically to student education records. HIPAA is focused on protecting health information, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act primarily addresses the financial privacy of consumers, and FISMA is concerned with the cybersecurity of federal information systems. Each of these serves important privacy functions, but none of them is specifically aimed at educational records, making FERPA the appropriate answer for this question.