NEW POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TO NOTIFY PARENTS OF TAX-DEPENDENT STUDENTS IN INSTANCES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL EMERGENCY

WHEREAS, House Bill 1005, passed during the 2008 General Assembly Session, provides notice under certain circumstances to the parents of a dependent student receiving mental health treatment at a state college or university student health or counseling center; and

WHEREAS, the bill specifically requires a parent of a dependent student to be notified when there exists a substantial likelihood that, as a result of mental illness the student will, in the near future, (i) cause serious physical harm to himself or others as evidenced by recent behavior or any other relevant information or (ii) suffer serious harm due to his lack of capacity to protect himself from harm or to provide for his basic human needs; and

WHEREAS, the bill allows such notification to be withheld if the student’s treating physician or treating clinical psychologist has made a part of the student’s record a written statement that, in the exercise of his professional judgment, the notification would be reasonably likely to cause substantial harm to the student or another person; and

WHEREAS, the bill requires that the governing boards of each institution shall establish the policies and procedures necessary to comply with the legislation;

RESOLVED, in accordance with HB 1005 and commencing the effective date thereof on July 1, 2008, the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia hereby affirms as University policy the aforesaid parental notification requirement which shall be implemented as follows:

1. The University’s Department of Student Health shall notify promptly the Dean of Students or his/her designee whenever the Department treats a student who meets the criteria for parental notification under this legislation; and
2. The Dean of Students or his/her designee shall be primarily responsible for contacting the parent of any such dependent student as required by state law, and documenting such notification as appropriate under the circumstances.

The foregoing general procedure is subject at all times to the authority and direction of the University’s Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer to approve notification by such other University office or personnel as may be necessary or appropriate under the circumstances.