Virginia Bill Would Bar Punishing Suicidal Students

Virginia has passed a bill that would prohibit public universities and colleges from dismissing or otherwise punishing students who attempt suicide or seek treatment for suicidal urges. The bill, however, does allow schools to set policies for how to deal with these students.

According to the Daily Press, the bill was introduced by Del. Albert C. Eisenberg, D-Arlington in response to several cases in which students sued their universities for suspending them after trying to kill themselves or seeking treatment for depression. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, George Washington University and Ferrum College, have all been sued in recent years over their handling of of suicidal students. This bill is among the first legislation nationwide to address this problem.

Although the bill was passed unanimously by the House of Delegates and Senate, it still awaits the signature of the governor.

Dr. Jane T. Horton, director of student health and counseling services at Washington & Lee University, has expressed the fear that allowing a suicidal student to remain at school "is putting their own health at risk or placing an undue burden on the university for taking care of them". She and Dawn A. Watkins, dean of students, have written a letter asking the governor to veto the bill. Eisenberg, however, said his legislation makes clear that the schools "are not designed as psychiatric wards" and that colleges and universities would have the authority to deal with students who are a danger to themselves and to others.

More information about the bill can be found online in the Virginia General Assembly Legislative Information System.