This is the 13th paper in the Association of Governing Boards (AGB's) series summarizing federal and state public policy issues affecting higher education. Governing boards, institutional and university-system leaders, and senior staffs will find it useful for board discussions and retreats and in formulating institutional responses to these…

A principle responsibility of a board member is to understand the environment in which his or her institution operates. Today, that environment includes a host of legal risks that every institution of higher education must be prepared to assess and proactively address. Colleges and universities work to contain and manage those risks through such…

Presents the findings from a 1985 survey of state legislation and school system policy on child abuse. All 50 states have statutes mandating that child abuse be reported, but there is great variation in how the laws are written and interpreted. Recommends three steps school boards should follow to establish effective child abuse reporting policy.…

Sexual abuse of children in the United States is far more pervasive than most educators realize, with studies estimating up to 500,000 annual occurrences. This revised resource and planning guide for Wisconsin schools should help districts deal with sexual abuse on school premises and suspicion of this behavior off campus. While the guide cannot…

This chapter reviews court cases and makes recommendations in light of the rising incidence of campus crimes and increased third-party litigation. There is greater awareness of gang and acquaintance rapes and a general increase in rapes, assaults, and murders. To secure compensation, women are also suing the institution on whose campus the assaut…

Date and acquaintance rape may be more prevalent on college campuses than in other environments, and colleges are struggling to confront the issue. Sexism and racism contribute to underreporting of and misconceptions about sexual abuse in college settings. Policies, programs, and procedures for combating sexual assaults on campus are recommended.…

This report is the result of an investigation by the New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled of the Bernard Fineson Developmental Center's policies and practices concerning sexual incidents among residents. It also raises broader issues about the meaning of consent when sexual activity involves persons with severe or…

Teachers have a special trust with students that includes not taking advantage of or abusing them. To ensure that sexual abuse is handled correctly in the school system, a policy must be adopted that requires employees to report incidences of abuse and make sure that the reporting requirement is balanced against the accused individual's rights.…

This paper describes the prevalence of depression and suicidal tendencies as well as risk factors for attempted suicide among students in Bolivia. Adolescents 13-18 years old (182 females, 394 males) from randomly selected schools in La Paz completed the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Frequencies and logistic regression were used to identify…

Although there is a need for enhanced evidence-based information on successful HIV and AIDS education interventions, much has already been learnt about good practices and policies in the education sector's response to the pandemic. This booklet, to be used in tandem with others in the series, aims to further expand our knowledge by highlighting…

One reason all 50 states have passed laws requiring school personnel to report suspected child abuse is that the school may be the primary setting in which children interact on a regular basis with nonfamily members. Because teachers interact with children on a daily basis, they are particularly well positioned to spot unusual behaviors in…

A guide to child abuse investigations reviews the following: theories of liability; legal responsibility to report child abuse; legal rights of a school employee accused of child abuse; legal problems that could arise if a school district enters into a secret settlement agreement; insurance concerns; and ways to interact with the press, the…

This interim report summarizes the progress and future directions of the Gender Equity Plans submitted by Washington State's public four-year universities and colleges, and its community college system. The report represents a monitoring of institutional and system efforts to address issues of gender equity affecting students in the areas…

This report summarizes the gender equity self-studies and plans for all six of the public, four-year universities and colleges in the State of Washington, as well as from the 27-member community college system. The evaluation encompassed 10 major areas: (1) the adoption of a nondiscrimination statement; (2) compliance procedures; (3) academic…

This volume offers 14 papers on the types, sources, and possible cures of violence on college campuses from prominent workers in higher education. Following a preface the titles are: (1) "Conceptualizing Campus Violence: Definitions, Underlying Factors, and Effects" by Mary L. Roark; (2) "Administrative Perspectives on Disruptive…