Both chambers of Virginia’s General Assembly on Feb. 13 voted to pass a bill outlining how public universities and colleges should respond to individuals who pose a dangerous threat on campus in an effort to prevent future violence.
The bill, known as HB1916, was introduced in January by Del. Amanda Batten (R-James City) who says it will “better protect our students, and staff and prevent violent incidents.”
Specifically, it will require threat assessment teams at public institutions of higher education to obtain the available criminal and health records for “individuals posing a significant threat of violence” and also require those teams to notify law enforcement, the campus police department, and the local attorney of the Commonwealth within 24 hours of making such a preliminary determination and disclose information on the particular threats from that individual, according to the bill….