Liberty University failed to disclose crime data and warn of threats for years, report says

Source: Associated Press

Liberty University failed to disclose crime data and warn of threats for years, report says

Updated 3:57 PM EDT, October 3, 2023

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — Liberty University failed to warn its Virginia campus community about safety threats, including from individuals accused of sexual violence, and systematically underreported crime statistics, according to a Washington Post report on the preliminary findings of a long-running federal investigation.

The private Christian university has marketed itself for years as having one of the nation’s safest campuses. But the Post reported that the U.S. Education Department’s findings described Liberty as an institution that discouraged people from reporting crimes and couldn’t provide basic documentation about crime on campus.

The Post said it had obtained a preliminary and confidential report written in May by the Department of Education, which said last year it was reviewing Liberty’s compliance with a federal law that requires schools to collect crime data and notify students of threats.

In a statement released Tuesday, Liberty confirmed it received the government’s report in May but said it has been corresponding with officials since then about “significant errors, misstatements, and unsupported conclusions in the Department’s preliminary findings.”

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/liberty-university-clery-act-crime-reporting-threats-465b78aabf2752e95a00be749461d114