Texas Universities Initiate Background Checks for Dorm-Bound Students
Colleges and universities across Texas have been given approval by Governor Rick Perry to conduct background checks for students living on campus.
Campus police at Grayson College say that the checks will help students rest assured that their new roommates and neighbors have all been checked out, according to an article from KXII. While the college has used public background check websites in the past, the new authorization from Gov. Perry will allow public colleges and universities in Texas to access the Department of Public Safety’s website for official information.
Only those students applying to live on campus would be subject to the checks, the article says, and a state website will show pending charges and convictions, but only a housing administrator or campus police chief would be allowed to access the records.
The new system is not without concerns, however – the DPS website only shows charges that occurred in Texas, so crimes committed outside the state will not show up, nor would records for out-of-state residents and international students.
The new law does not require these institutions to perform the background checks.
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