Dems call for rules to keep students abroad safe

Senate Democrats demanded that the Department of Education do more to protect students studying abroad.

“No parent or child should be in the dark about the safety concerns that exist in the foreign country where they plan to study,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). “There must be better oversight of these programs for our students.”

{mosads}Gillibrand and Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) sent a letter to the Department of Education on Thursday calling for more regulations of study abroad programs.

The senators called on the Education Department to provide up-to-date information on its website about safety concerns in countries, require schools use the same safety guidelines and procedures as State Department-sponsored programs and encourage students abroad to enroll in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) warning system.

They said rules were needed because students are dying, and some study abroad programs allow students to remain in countries, where the State Department has active travel warnings and has evacuated embassy staff because of safety concerns.

“I’m pushing the Department of Education to work with the State Department to do everything they can to ensure students have all the information they need to stay safe when they go abroad to study,” Franken said.