In 1978 Congress enacted an amendment to the General Education Provisions Act (the Hatch Amendment), which mandates two privacy-based safeguards in those federally funded programs "designed to explore or develop new or unproven teaching methods or techniques." Implementing regulations were issued last fall by the U.S. Department of Education. A number of broad-based attempts to apply the Hatch Amendment to instructional programs are happening nationwide. Several conservative organizations distributed to some 250,000 parents a "model letter" that enumerated activities comprising 34 topics that the groups believe parents are entitled to review and approve before their children participate in them. The National School Boards Association (NSBA) supports the objective that school systems inform parents of experimental programming and not engage in psychological testing and treatment without parental consent. The NSBA found that over three-quarters of 386 school systems surveyed already had such policies and is urging that the "confusing and unnecessary" Hatch regulations should be withdrawn and the legislation repealed. To be certain that school system policy conforms with the requirements of the Hatch Amendment, board members are advised to assess policy and see that it gives parents the legal right to inspect all instructional materials. The policy should contain a fair procedure for dealing with complaints and require that complaints, acknowledgments, and decisions all be in writing. (MLF)