Ravi Thackurdeen Safe Students Study Abroad Act

Summary: Ravi Thackurdeen Safe Students Study Abroad Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify campus security reporting requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs. Currently, an IHE must annually report data to the Department of Education on certain criminal offenses that occur in the following geographic categories: on campus, on campus in a residential facility, on noncampus property, and on public property. This bill expands the geographic categories of reportable offenses to also include crimes that occur while a student is participating in an approved study abroad program.  Additionally, it requires an IHE to develop and distribute, as part of its annual security report provided to students and employees, a statement that it has adopted and implemented a program to protect students participating in an approved study abroad program from crime and harm.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ravi Thackurdeen Safe Students Study 
Abroad Act''.

SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF CLERY ACT TO PROGRAMS OF STUDY ABROAD.

    (a) Reporting of Crime Statistics.--Paragraph (12) of section 
485(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092(f)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (C);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (D) 
        and inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) while a student is participating in a program 
                of study abroad approved for credit by an institution 
                of higher education, distinguished by whether the 
                criminal offense occurred at a location described in 
                subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D), or at another 
                location, without regard to whether the institution 
                owns or controls a building or property at such 
                location.''.
    (b) Additional Reporting for Programs of Study Abroad.--Section 
485(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092(f)) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (18) as paragraph (19); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (17), the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(18)(A) Each institution of higher education 
        participating in any program under this title, other than a 
        foreign institution of higher education, shall develop and 
        distribute as part of the report described in paragraph (1), a 
        statement that the institution has adopted and implemented a 
        program to protect students participating in a program of study 
        abroad approved for credit by the institution from crime and 
        harm while participating in such program of study abroad that, 
        at a minimum, includes the following:
                            ``(i) A biennial review by the institution 
                        of the programs of study abroad approved for 
                        credit by the institution to determine--
                                    ``(I) the effectiveness of the 
                                programs at protecting students from 
                                crime and harm, and whether changes to 
                                the programs are needed (based on the 
                                most recent guidance or other 
                                assistance from the Secretary) and will 
                                be implemented;
                                    ``(II) for the 10 years preceding 
                                the date of the report, the number (in 
                                the aggregate for all programs of study 
                                abroad approved for credit by the 
                                institution) of--
                                            ``(aa) deaths of program 
                                        participants resulting during 
                                        program participation;
                                            ``(bb) accidents and 
                                        illnesses occurring during 
                                        program participation that 
                                        resulted in hospitalization;
                                            ``(cc) sexual assaults 
                                        against program participants 
                                        occurring during program 
                                        participation; and
                                            ``(dd) incidents involving 
                                        program participants during the 
                                        program participation that 
                                        resulted in police involvement 
                                        or a police report; and
                                    ``(III) with respect to the 
                                incidents described in items (aa) 
                                through (dd) of subclause (II), whether 
                                the incidents occurred--
                                            ``(aa) on campus;
                                            ``(bb) in or on a noncampus 
                                        building or property;
                                            ``(cc) on public property;
                                            ``(dd) in dormitories or 
                                        other residential facilities 
                                        for students; or
                                            ``(ee) at a location not 
                                        described in items (aa) through 
                                        (dd) of this subclause, without 
                                        regard to whether the 
                                        institution owns or controls a 
                                        building or property at the 
                                        location.
                            ``(ii) The crime statistics described in 
                        paragraph (12)(E).
            ``(B) An institution of higher education described in 
        subparagraph (A) shall--
                    ``(i) provide each student who is interested in 
                participating in a program of study abroad approved for 
                credit by the institution, with a pre-trip orientation 
                session and advising that includes--
                            ``(I) a list of countries in which such 
                        programs of study abroad are located;
                            ``(II) all current travel information, 
                        including all travel warnings and travel 
                        alerts, issued by the Bureau of Consular 
                        Affairs of the Department of State for such 
                        countries; and
                            ``(III) the information described in 
                        clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A), 
                        provided specifically for each program of study 
                        abroad approved for credit by the institution 
                        in which the student is considering 
                        participation; and
                    ``(ii) provide each student who returns from such a 
                program of study abroad with a post-trip orientation 
                session, including an exit interview that assists the 
                institution in carrying out subparagraph (A) and clause 
                (i) of this subparagraph.
            ``(C) An institution of higher education shall not 
        disaggregate or otherwise distinguish information for purposes 
        of subparagraph (A) or (B) in a case in which the number of 
        students in a category is insufficient to yield statistically 
        reliable information or the results would reveal personally 
        identifiable information about an individual student.
            ``(D) The Secretary shall periodically review a 
        representative sample of the programs described in subparagraph 
        (A) that have been adopted and implemented by institutions of 
        higher education to protect students participating in a program 
        of study abroad described in subparagraph (A) from crime and 
        harm while participating in such program of study abroad.''.