Change to Clery investigation process helps student journalists get information faster

(Unsplash / Fred Moon)

The Department of Education used to take years to resolve Clery Act complaints against universities. But as of 2019, several schools underwent a new, quicker process, which brought the schools under Clery compliance — giving journalists access to more complete campus crime statistics — in a matter of months. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus… Continue reading Change to Clery investigation process helps student journalists get information faster

Bill would require Va. universities to disclose sexual assault reports to local prosecutors

The bill would require the departments to report incidents of sexual assault to the local Commonwealth attorney within 48 hours of receiving the report, providing another avenue to access information about reported incidents.

Va. bill could restrict student journalists’ ability to survey classmates

The bill would require parents to approve any surveys asking students to provide “sexual information,” mental health information, medical information, student health risk information, information about drug use and other topics the school board deems “sensitive.”

Obama calls for federal student data protections

President Obama said the legislation, which is modeled after a new law in California, is necessary as digital learning becomes more prominent in classrooms. Leading up to his State of the Union Address next week, the proposal was part of the president’s recent focus on cybersecurity and privacy.

Try this at home: How equitable is your high school?

Earlier this week, the Department of Education released data compiled through its Civil Rights Data Collection program. For the first time since 2000, every public school in the country was surveyed, and for the first time ever, the results of the survey are being made public in a searchable database.The database has the potential to be a great resource for student journalists who want to learn more about their schools.

Campus crime statistics unavailable from government during shutdown, but we have ’em

We often encourage student journalists to look up campus crime statistics reported by their school using the Department of Education's "Data Analysis Cutting Tool." On that website, students can look up statistics reported annually by their school as required by the Jeanne Clery Act, as well as those reported by other schools.Students (and members of the public) trying to do that today won't be able to.