Public Law 110-315
The Clery Act
Jeanne Ann Clery was a 19-year-old Lehigh University freshman (pictured left) who was raped and murdered while asleep in her residence hall room on April 5, 1986. Connie and Howard, Jeanne's parents, discovered that students hadn't been told about 38 violent crimes on the Lehigh campus in the three years before her murder. They joined with other campus crime victims and persuaded Congress to enact this law, which was originally known as the "Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990". The 1998 amendments formally named this law in memory of Jeanne Clery.
2008 Clery Act Amendments
Included in the “Higher Education Opportunity Act” (Public Law 110-315)
Enacted Into Law August 14, 2008; Effective Immediately
Campus Emergency Response & Immediate Warning
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) adds a statement of “emergency response and evacuation procedures” to the Clery Act annual security report (ASR) produced by institutions of postsecondary education. The policy disclosure “shall include” a statement that the institution will “immediately notify the campus community upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or staff” on campus (as defined in the Act). Warnings may only be withheld if they would compromise efforts to contain the emergency.
Accompanying “report” language calls for warnings to be issued “without any delay” following confirmation of an emergency.
Purple Tree Technologies
The PT2 Emergency Messaging System provides near instantaneous mass communication without the delays of cellular text messages or email. To find out more about the Clery Act, visit: http://www.securityoncampus.org.