Bill Opening Student Records Sent to President by Congress

Legislation giving students access to their school records was sent by Congress to President Nixon yesterday as part of a comprehensive education bill.

Nixon has threatened to veto the whole bill because it contains a compromise provision aimed at limiting school busing to achieve racial balance. Nixon has indicated that he prefers a stronger stand against busing.

The House of Representatives passed the bill, 323-83, on Wednesday.

Rights to Inspect

The section on school files grants all students over 18 and the parents of students under 18 the right to inspect a school's files on the student, and to object to the contents of the files. The bill also allows students to request a copy of their entire file.

Sen. James Buckley (R-N.Y.) introduced the school files provision as an amendment to the education bill. The House of Representatives originally rejected the provision, but later accepted the Senate House conference version of the bill.

Harvard administrators lobbied heavily last May against a similar school records bill recently killed in the Massachusetts Legislature.

Two Concerns

Michael F. Brewer, assistant to the vice president for government and community affairs, said yesterday that the two major concerns about the bill were the effect open records might have on Harvard's ability to obtain candid recommendations, and the possibility that a third party might pressure a student to release a complete copy of his records.

Daniel Steiner '54, general counsel to the University, said yesterday that he has circulated copies of the legislation to the deans to determine how it would affect Harvard operations.