BILL NUMBER: S3390A
SPONSOR: GOUNARDES
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring each insti-
tution of higher education to make publicly available its policy on
notifying the parent, guardian, or emergency contact of a student under
twenty-one years old of certain controlled substance or alcohol
violations
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill aims to increase transparency between higher education insti-
tutions and the public regarding their policy on notifying a parent or
guardian of a drug or alcohol violation by a student under the age of
twenty-one.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill introduces 6438-d to the Education Law.
Section 1 establishes the short title of "Beau's Law."
Section 2 stipulates that every college or other institution of higher
education must make publicly accessible its policy on notification of a
parent, guardian, or emergency contact in the case of a drug or alcohol
violation by a student under the age of twenty-one. It also outlines
that all colleges and higher education institutions shall conduct regu-
lar training on the provisions of FERPA related to parental drug and
alcohol notification and may set the parameters for such training.
Section 3 is the enacting clause.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
On average, in the United States, 60% of full-time college students
consume alcohol, 39% of whom partake in binge drinking. Twenty percent
of full-time students use cannabis, and the use of other illicit drugs
has been on the rise in recent years. When it comes to substance
consumption for those under the age of twenty-one, the problem only
worsens. In 2022, Beau Miller, an 18-year-old college student, died from
an accidental overdose. Suffering from an addiction problem, he had not
been attending classes and when dismissed, poor attendance was the only
reason listed. Prior to his death, he had to be resuscitated on multiple
occasions. At no point did the school inform his parents that anything
was wrong, and it was only when it was too late that they were made
aware of pre-existing issues from his friends.
This bill, named Beau's Law' in his honor, sets out guidelines to
improve transparency as to what each higher education institution's
policy is on whether a parent or guardian will be notified of an alcohol
or drug violation by an underage student. By requiring colleges to make
their guidelines publicly accessible, this enables underage students to
be fully informed as to what the steps are after a rule violation of
this nature and to give parents full transparency over what their expec-
tations should be. Each college has autonomy over what rules to set in
place regarding parental notification, but this bill works towards
increased accountability and better communication.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: S9173 - Referred to Higher Education
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.