On the eve of students returning to colleges campuses, a bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers is pushing for the mandated reporting of serious accidents by schools in an effort to in increase student safety.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, are among lawmakers reintroducing a bill that would require colleges and universities nationwide to report any campus accidents that lead to death or serious injuries.

The College Operational Reporting of Emergencies Involving Teens and Young Adults Safety (COREY) Act, is named in memory of Corey Hausman, a Westport teen who died in a skateboarding accident in 2018 on the University of Colorado campus. He was just three weeks into his freshman year.

Hausman’s parents, Nanette and Joel Hausman, have spearheaded the effort to increase school reporting requirements and created College911.net, an initiative that includes a push for transparency that could lead to increased investment in infrastructure and safety programs at college campuses.

“Currently and surprisingly, there is a data desert related to on-campus accidents and serious injuries,” Joel Hausman said in a statement. ”When tracked and reported changes will be made to save lives and spare parents, along with loved ones, the devastation of losing a child and family member.“

Accidents are the leading cause of student fatalities on college campuses, accounting for 10.8% of deaths, according to a 2013 study by The American College Health Association. By comparison, just 0.53% of on-campus deaths are homicides.

And while the federal Jeanne Clery Act of 1990 already requires colleges that receive federal aid to disclose campus crime statistics, there is not provision that requires them to report accidents. The new proposal would amend the Clery Act and follow reporting requirements that Connecticut schools already follow thanks to a state law passed in 2021.

The University of Connecticut started compiling and reporting accident data last year and it is now included as an appendix to it annual CLERY Act reports.

“We have also talked with Nanette Hausman, who advocated for the federal COREY Act on behalf of her son, about our shared belief in the importance of transparency,” UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said.

The UConn Division of University Safety gathers the information by reviewing reports from its police and fire/EMS records, Student Health & Wellness and other sources. The data includes serious accidental injuries or deaths that UConn can identify on its campuses. The incidents can include injuries or deaths from vehicle collisions, and incidents in which pedestrians were hurt or killed while walking, jogging, bicycling, skateboarding, and similar activities, Reitz said.

The data also would include injuries and deaths from on-campus slips and/or falls such as tripping or falling from heights, including off bunk beds; alcohol or drug overdoses; choking or drowning; and other accidents, she said.

In a statement, Connecticut College Director of Safety and Emergency Operations Mary Savage emphasized the college’s commitment to safety.

“Our Campus Safety team works tirelessly to maintain a safe environment for all community members. We are ready to collaborate with lawmakers to ensure effective reporting processes that further enhance campus safety,” Savage said in a statement.

In addition to Courtney and Blumenthal, Connecticut U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, and U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pennsylvania, have joined a bipartisan group co-sponsoring the bill.

“Improving the quality of data we have on fatal accidents on school campuses, as well as increasing transparency surrounding these tragic incidents, will ultimately make for better strategies to keep students safe,” Courtney said in a statement.

g.smith@theday.com