Student Privacy vs Student Safety

1574 Words4 Pages

Why do schools NOT notify the police when a violent disturbance occurs? One would assume that when there is an assault or threat upon a student, the police would be the first people to be notified. When there is violence, or threats of violence against students in an academic setting, information about the threats and the troublesome student should be shared with the police. But Universities usually do not provide this information to the police. Lynn Daggett, a Professor at the Gonzaga University School of Law, states, “Schools struggle with whether, when, and how to involve police, both when students appear to present a threat to others, as in high profile cases, and also when the school suspects a student of criminal behavior” (Daggett). Although police are available and willing to be involved in school disturbances, schools do not involve the police more often than they should and cannot or will not give certain records about their students to the police.

One once said that there is no such thing as bad publicity, but maybe some schools disagree with this statement, and they take publicity more seriously than the welfare of their facility, staff, and students. A school with bad reputation is not going to receive many applicants, but is this a valid excuse for not protecting their students? I believe that if there is a disturbance like a student threatening someone or a shooting, schools should notify the police right away. Mary Hoeft, a professor of communication arts and French at the University of Wisconsin – Barron County, wrote Professors in the Crosshairs, an article about incidents that occurred at her school that should have involved the police. Hoeft spoke of a situation where a young female student raged down the ...

... middle of paper ...

...o know for sure. What one can hope for is that someone will step up, do the right thing, and alert the police if something terrible is occurring.

Work Cited

Daggett, Lynn M. "Book 'Em?: Navigating Student Privacy, Disability, And Civil Rights And School Safety In The Context Of School-Police Cooperation." Urban Lawyer 45.1 (2013): 203-233. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

Hoeft, Mary. "Professors in the Crosshairs | Inside Higher Ed." Professors in the Crosshairs Inside Higher Ed. Inside Higher Ed, 24 Feb. 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

Martínez, Louis E. "The Police Response To Critical Incidents In Academic Institutions." Journal Of Police Crisis Negotiations 12.1 (2012): 69-77. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

Roy, Lucinda. "Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2." No Right to Remain Silent: The Tragedy at Virginia Tech. New York: Harmony, 2009. 1-61. Print.

Open Document