Suppose someone who works in the admissions office of a private high?
Internal workplace rules: The employee would be fired. I cannot imagine any circumstances under which a private school would tolerate this sort of behavior for an instant. Legal consequences: In the United States If the school receives federal funds, an admissions office employee who publicly disclosed the academic records of an applicant would be violating the Family Educational Records and Privacy Act (FERPA). Most private universities receive federal funds, and are therefore subject to FERPA. If the school does not receive federal funds, the school is not subject to FERPA. Most private high schools do not receive federal funds, and are therefore not subject to FERPA. Assuming that the educational institution you are asking about receives federal funds and is subject to FERPA, the celebrity could file a complaint with the US Department of Education. The DOE would investigate the complaint and determine an appropriate penalty. In extreme cases in other words, not for a single violation the DOE has the authority to discontinue the schools federal funding. Even if the school isnt subject to FERPA, its bound to have internal rules prohibiting employees from disclosing confidential information. If word got out that an employee had intentionally posted a students academic records to the internet, the parents of every student who was enrolled in the school would go ballistic. Slightly off-point story: The UCLA Medical Center is located in a Los Angeles neighborhood where many celebrities live. The hospital gets a lot of famous patients, largely because of its location. Historically, the hospital has had a problem with nosy employees snooping through the computer system to learn medical information about their favorite performers. It has responded to this problem by bringing the hammer down on employees who get caught snooping. If you snoop, you get fired.