What is the Jeanne Clery Disclosure Act?

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, codified at 20 USC 1092 (f) as a part of the Higher Education Act of 1965, is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to disclose certain timely and annual information about campus crime and security policies. All public and private post secondary educational institutions participating in federal student aid programs are subject to it.

Howard and Connie Clery championed the law, originally enacted by Congress in 1990 as the Campus Security Act, after their daughter Jeanne was tragically murdered at Lehigh University in 1986. Amendments to the Act in 1998 renamed it in memory of Jeanne Clery.

The Clery Act requires colleges and universities to publish an annual report every year by Oct. 1 that contains three years worth of crime statistics and certain security policy statements including sexual assault policies which assure basic victims' rights, the law enforcement authority of campus police and where the students should go to report crimes.

The complete text of the Clery Act is available on the Clery Center website as are the implementing regulations published by the U.S. Department of Education.