Missing Students

POLICY PURPOSE:

This policy establishes CSU Pueblo's response procedures when a student is reported missing.

Colorado law, including SB 26-120 Missing Person Training and Higher Education Reporting, applies to reports involving any CSU Pueblo student and requires institutions of higher education to either conduct a preliminary wellness assessment for no longer than six (6) hours or immediately notify law enforcement. CSU Pueblo elects to immediately notify law enforcement upon receipt of a missing student report.

In addition, the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) and associated Clery Act regulations establish specific requirements for students residing in University Housing who are determined to be missing. These requirements include maintaining confidential contact information, notifying designated contacts and parents of certain minors, and publishing missing student notification procedures in the University's Annual Security Report.

This policy integrates both state and federal requirements by establishing procedures applicable to all missing student reports and additional notification procedures applicable to students who reside in University Housing.

POLICY APPLIES TO (Persons affected by):

This policy applies to all CSU Pueblo students who are reported missing.

Certain provisions of this policy, including confidential contact designations and federal notification requirements mandated by the Higher Education Opportunity Act, apply specifically to students residing in University Housing.

All members of the university community should be familiar with and follow the reporting procedures outlined in this policy.

DEFINITIONS:

Missing Student: For the purposes of this policy, a student may be considered “missing” if their absence from campus is contrary to the student’s usual pattern of behavior, and unusual circumstances may have caused the absence. Such circumstances could include, but not be limited to, a report or suspicion that the person may be a victim of foul play, has expressed suicidal thoughts, is drug dependent, is in a life threatening situation, has been with persons who may endanger the student's welfare, or is overdue to return to campus and is unheard from after giving a specific return time to friends or family.

University Housing: A residence hall or Walking Stick apartment that is maintained as a residential facility for students on CSU Pueblo campus property.

Residential Student Missing Notification Requirements: Federal requirements under the Higher Education Opportunity Act and Clery Act that apply when a student residing in University Housing is determined to be missing for more than twenty-four (24) hours.

POLICY STATEMENT:

Reporting a Missing Student:

All reports of missing students shall be immediately reported to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office and the Office of Campus Safety and Emergency Management. If the situation is urgent, a report may also be made by calling 911.

These reporting requirements apply regardless of whether the student resides on campus, off campus, or in University Housing.

For students residing in University Housing, additional federal notification requirements described in this policy apply once the student is determined to be missing.

If you believe a student is missing, it is important not to touch any physical evidence that may be relevant to the investigation; instead, report the matter to an official as soon as possible.

Notification to Students in University Housing

Residence Life and Housing shall notify all unemancipated students under the age of 18 who reside in University Housing that, if they are determined to be missing, the student’s custodial parent or guardian must be notified within 24 hours, in addition to notification of the confidential contact person designated by the student.

The notification shall also state that if a person of any age residing in university housing is determined to be missing for more than 24 hours the institution will initiate the following official notification procedures.

Student’s Designation of Confidential Contact Person

CSU Pueblo’s department of Residence Life and Housing shall notify all students who reside in University Housing that they may designate a confidential contact person to be notified no later than 24 hours after the student is determined to be missing. The confidential contact information provided by the student will be accessible only to authorized campus personnel, including law enforcement officials, in connection with a missing person investigation. If the student does not register a confidential contact person, then the student’s designated emergency contact person or people shall be contacted. Designation of a confidential contact person is done by completing the confidential contact form that students are provided when they first move into the residence halls.

Preliminary Wellness Assessment and Immediate Law Enforcement Notification

In accordance with Colorado law, when a student is reported missing, an institution of higher education may conduct a preliminary wellness assessment for a period not to exceed six (6) hours or immediately notify law enforcement. A preliminary wellness assessment may include a digital contact attempt, residential verification, and academic and social inquiry.

CSU Pueblo's practice is to immediately notify the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office and the Office of Campus Safety and Emergency Management upon receipt of a missing student report. University personnel may conduct wellness-check activities and gather relevant information in support of the investigation; however, such activities shall not delay notification to law enforcement. If there is evidence of a credible risk to the student's health or safety, emergency notification procedures shall be initiated immediately.

Additional Federal Notification Requirements for Students Residing in University Housing

The following requirements apply only to students residing in University Housing and are mandated by the Higher Education Opportunity Act and Clery Act. These requirements supplement CSU Pueblo's practice of immediately notifying law enforcement upon receipt of any missing student report.

When a determination is made that a student is missing, the Office of Campus Safety and Emergency Management will take the following steps:

1. Notify the confidential contact person identified by the missing student within 24 hours after such determination that the student is missing.
2. If the missing student is an unemancipated minor under the age of 18, the student’s parent or guardian as identified in CSU Pueblo records shall also be notified within 24 hours from the time the student is determined missing.
3. If law enforcement authorities have not already been notified, notify the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies as appropriate.

Investigation Procedures when a Student is Reported Missing:

When a student is reported missing, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, together with CSEM, will initiate an investigation to determine the validity of the report and determine if the student is missing. Such investigation may include (but is not limited to) any or all of the following steps:

1. Contacting the student via e-mail or phone
2. Conducting a welfare check into the student's room
3. Contacting the student’s designated confidential contact person(s) or designated emergency contact person(s)
4. Contacting others who may know the student (parents, guardians, roommates, and friends)
5. Contacting employers and associates, if known
6. Contacting the student’s professors to ascertain the student’s recent attendance in class
7. Attempting to locate the student’s vehicle
8. Searching campus locations to find the student and using the student’s ID picture for assistance in obtaining pertinent information
9. Contacting roommates, floor mates, known friends, family, faculty members or advisors to seek information on last sighting or additional contact information
10. Checking the student’s social media sites
11. Any other investigative measures as determined by PCSO
12. Consulting with Student Affairs officials for assistance in determining whether a student is missing, who is the appropriate party to initiate contact with the student’s emergency or designated confidential contact person, and any other actions that may be appropriate regarding the missing student.

RELATED LAWS, POLICIES & PROCEDURES:

• Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, P.L. 110-315, 20 U.S. Code § 1092(j) and implementing regulations, 34 C.F.R. Part 668.46(h)
• CSU Pueblo Policy, Campus Safety (Clery Act)
• Colorado Senate Bill 26-120, Missing Person Training and Higher Education Reporting, codified in applicable sections of the Colorado Revised Statutes regarding missing student reporting and preliminary wellness assessments.

RESOURCES

• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

HISTORY OF REVISIONS:

Adopted: 3/24/2025

Revised: 10/5/2026

Approved by: Garrison Ortiz