Privacy Digest

Ridge rips privacy laws after campus massacre: "Privacy law that prevented Virginia Tech and mental health officials from sharing information about Cho Seung-Hui that could have prevented the university massacre 'cries out' for review, former Gov. Tom Ridge said yesterday.

'That is one area that demands, requires attention,' said Ridge, who was tapped by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine to serve on the independent panel that will review the Virginia Tech shooting. Cho killed 32 people and wounded about 30 others before taking his own life.

Confidentiality laws prevent colleges from sharing information -- from grades to medical history -- with parents or others without a student's permission.

Privacy laws also might have contributed to Virginia Tech officials being unaware that Cho had been ordered by a court to seek counseling when he was released from a mental health facility in December 2005.

'All I can say is, parents that pay tuition to college can't get access to their kids' grades unless they get a waiver,' Ridge said in a phone interview.

The former federal Homeland Security director, Ridge is the father of two children in college.

Striking a balance between public safety and maintaining the open campuses that are the hallmark of American higher education will prove difficult, but is achievable, he predicted.

Kaine suggested Ridge be part of the panel of education, law enforcement, and health care experts to review what led up to the shootings. The eight-member panel will conduct a minute-by-minute account of Monday's events, including the two-hour gap after the first shooting, and the aftermath.

'The governor was looking for individuals with expertise and credibility in some of the key areas that the review panel will address,' said Kevin Hall, a spokesman for Kaine.

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