BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's  top higher education board has adopted a statewide policy for how colleges should handle sexual assault allegations and prevention efforts.

The Board of Regents approved the broad guidelines. They are mandatory for all public colleges.

Education programs and regular student surveys to gather information about sexual assault are required. Colleges must coordinate with law enforcement on response efforts to assault claims.

Individual campuses must prohibit retaliation against anyone who complains about sexual misconduct. They also must offer counseling and health services to anyone who reports an assault.

New Orleans state Sen. J.P. Morrell has pushed for stricter policies for how campuses respond to assault claims. On Tuesday, he called the Regents' plan an excellent first step, but said more work needs to be done to spell out campus requirements.

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