New law informs guardians when student has mental emergency

A new state law that allows colleges and universities to inform parents when a student has mental health emergency takes effect Sunday.

That information had previously been considered private. The new law says higher institutions can't be held liable for telling guardians when their students attempt suicide or have psychotic episodes.

State representative Andy Welti of Plainview was a sponsor of the law. He said universities will now respond to mental health issues the same as medical emergencies.

"We don't want something that could be preventable from escalating into another major medical emergency or even death," Welti said.

The new law does not allow disclosure of medical records -- it only allows colleges to tell guardians that an emergency has taken place.