2008 Woodie Awards
Dangerous students could be reported
By: Meredith Mayberry
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: News
Changes are being proposed to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 that could affect the safety of universities across the country.
FERPA gives students privacy rights regarding their educational records and applies to all universities that receive funds under a program of the U.S. Department of Education.
Now, the lines between privacy and public information are being blurred.
The new regulations would clarify that universities would not be penalized for reporting concerns about students who may be dangerous, either to themselves or to others, according to The Washington Post.
"Anything that the Department of Education might do to provide more leeway for institutions to release information that would serve safety purposes would make sense," said Associate Dean of Students Michael Owens.
Safety is the main cause for the changes being made.
The regulations would be an attempt to make college campuses safer by tightening security, improving mental health services and creating systems to alert students of danger, a Department of Education official told the Post.
Mental health services on CMU's campus are readily available at Foust Hall, said Ross Rapaport, director of CMU's Counseling Center.
In the last year, the university has helped more than 800 students through its counseling services.
The changes made to FERPA could allow the university to contact parents, among other parties, if a student is suspected of being a risk to him-or herself or to others.
It gives schools more flexibility in defining a potentially dangerous situation, according to the Post.
Universities have until May 8 to respond and make suggestions about the proposed regulations, which will be considered by the U.S. Department of Education before a final draft of the law is released in the fall.
Owens said CMU would be open to conversations about the possible changes in the near future.
"If it provides a safer environment, I think the university would be leaning into looking at the possibilities," he said. "But we have to be careful with privacy laws. We have to make sure the cure isn't worse than the problem."
Eileen Jennings, CMU's general counsel, said the changes to FERPA may not be necessary.
"I think FERPA, as written right now, gives universities ample ability to share information when there is a true concern about the safety of a student," Jennings said. "FERPA says you cannot disclose educational records. When there's violence between people, people have that information without educational records. But once a university official records that information, then it is on the student's educational record and cannot be shared under FERPA."
news@cm-life.com
FERPA gives students privacy rights regarding their educational records and applies to all universities that receive funds under a program of the U.S. Department of Education.
Now, the lines between privacy and public information are being blurred.
The new regulations would clarify that universities would not be penalized for reporting concerns about students who may be dangerous, either to themselves or to others, according to The Washington Post.
"Anything that the Department of Education might do to provide more leeway for institutions to release information that would serve safety purposes would make sense," said Associate Dean of Students Michael Owens.
Safety is the main cause for the changes being made.
The regulations would be an attempt to make college campuses safer by tightening security, improving mental health services and creating systems to alert students of danger, a Department of Education official told the Post.
Mental health services on CMU's campus are readily available at Foust Hall, said Ross Rapaport, director of CMU's Counseling Center.
In the last year, the university has helped more than 800 students through its counseling services.
The changes made to FERPA could allow the university to contact parents, among other parties, if a student is suspected of being a risk to him-or herself or to others.
It gives schools more flexibility in defining a potentially dangerous situation, according to the Post.
Universities have until May 8 to respond and make suggestions about the proposed regulations, which will be considered by the U.S. Department of Education before a final draft of the law is released in the fall.
Owens said CMU would be open to conversations about the possible changes in the near future.
"If it provides a safer environment, I think the university would be leaning into looking at the possibilities," he said. "But we have to be careful with privacy laws. We have to make sure the cure isn't worse than the problem."
Eileen Jennings, CMU's general counsel, said the changes to FERPA may not be necessary.
"I think FERPA, as written right now, gives universities ample ability to share information when there is a true concern about the safety of a student," Jennings said. "FERPA says you cannot disclose educational records. When there's violence between people, people have that information without educational records. But once a university official records that information, then it is on the student's educational record and cannot be shared under FERPA."
news@cm-life.com
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