How should confidential information disclosed during reporting be handled?

• A. With privacy and limited disclosure to those who need to know to investigate and ensure safety
• B. Publicly shared with all students
• C. Shared with external media
• D. Kept secret from everyone

Answer: (A)

Confidential information disclosed during reporting should be kept private and shared only with those who need to know to investigate and ensure safety. This means providing relevant details to trained investigators, the campus Title IX coordinator or equivalent, and campus security, and, when required by policy or law, to appropriate law enforcement. Sharing should be strictly on a need-to-know basis and should avoid exposing sensitive details to people who don’t need them. Publicly sharing with all students or with external media would violate privacy and can cause unnecessary harm or re-traumatization. Keeping information completely secret from everyone would prevent a proper investigation and appropriate safety measures. The goal is to protect privacy while ensuring a timely, effective response to safeguard everyone involved.