Virginia Tech Broke the Law

Federal education officials found that Virginia Tech broke the law in 2007 when it waited two hours to send an email warning students that a gunman was on the loose on campus, too late to save the 30 students and faculty who were gunned down later in the morning. The Clery Act requires that universities alert students to campus threats in a "timely manner," and the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday rejected Virginia Tech's defense of its actions. The verdict first came in January, but the university was given an opportunity to defend itself. But the court wasn't impressed. With the conviction, Virginia Tech could lose its federal funding and have to pay a fine up to $55,000. The university says the law is unclear and that the court has still not defined "timely manner" adequately enough for schools to be prosecuted. [Via @SOCPubPol on Twitter.]