Judge Reverses $55,000 Fine Against Virginia Tech
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Hemera/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Virginia Tech no longer faces the fine imposed over its handling of the 2007 massacre on campus.
The Department of Education had fined Virginia Tech $55,000 for violating a federal law that requires timely notification of campus crime – but a judge threw it out, ruling an email the school sent more than two hours after the first gunshots “contained sufficient information to put the community on notice.”
The judge said “in hindsight it is beyond regretful” a warning did not go out sooner, but he determined it was sent in a reasonable amount of time.
“We are aware of the ruling, and the Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid is considering its options,” a spokesman for the Department of Education said in a statement. “At the end of the day, we all agree that the most important thing we can do as a country is to put safeguards and protections in place that will help prevent a tragedy like this from occurring again.
The statement continued, “We will continue to work with Virginia Tech and schools across the country to make sure we’re collectively doing everything possible to keep students safe and learning.”
In its own statement, the school said it is “pleased by the ruling.”
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