
HRW Higher Ground
John Graff of Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP is a nationally recognized higher education attorney with extensive experience advising colleges and universities on matters unique to higher education, including Title IX compliance, investigations and litigation; advice and audit representation in U.S. Department of Education Clery Act compliance reviews; and all matters related to student affairs operations. John also provides logistical consulting to campus law enforcement agencies throughout the country concerning all aspects of police operations. Visit us online: www.hrwlawyers.com
HRW Higher Ground
13. Special Ep, Part 1: Dept. of Ed Announcement Rescinding Clery Guidance
On October 9, 2020, the Department of Education released brief guidance rescinding the 2016 edition of its Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting a.k.a. the Clery Handbook. The Department’s announcement constitutes a drastic shift in its own interpretation of the role the Clery Handbook and Department guidance should play in Clery compliance and enforcement. In this first of a two-part episode, John Graff breaks down the October 9 announcement, a 2014 Senate hearing addressing the Department’s enforcement of its own guidance, the 2015 Recalibrating Regulation of Colleges and Universities, Report on the Task Force on Federal Regulation in Higher Education, two recent media opinion pieces, all of which help us understand the Department’s October 9 action and Clery compliance going forward. In part two, John will analyze the new replacement guidance in light of the material discussed in part one with an eye toward laying out what Clery compliance likely will look like during 2021.
- Department of Education Announcement Rescinding Clery Handbook (October 9, 2020)
https://ifap.ed.gov/electronic-announcements/100920RescissionReplace2016HandbookForCampusSafetySecurityReporting - Recalibrating Regulation of Colleges and Universities, Report on the Task Force on Federal Regulation in Higher Education (2015) https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/Regulations_Task_Force_Report_2015_FINAL.pdf
- June 26, 2014 Senate Hearing on Campus Sexual Assaults
https://www.c-span.org/video/?320167-1/sexual-assault-college-campuses - Opinion: It’s Time to Reform the Clery Act https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/05/15/clery-act-does-little-improve-campus-safety-even-during-pandemic-opinion
- Opinion: Clery Act Wastes College and University Resources https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/clery/opinion-clery-act-wastes-college-and-university-resources/
- The Clery Act and Overseas/Distance Study: New Developments and Compliance Guidance, 2016 Edition, Joseph Storch, updated September 26, 2016 http://www.legal.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/documents/nacuanote-cleryactabroadpdf.pdf
- Should I Stay or Should I Go?, Jake New, Inside Higher Ed (December 9, 2014)
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/12/09/students-faculty-dont-always-react-quickly-emergency-alerts