Virgina Tech disputes federal report

BLACKSBURG, Va., May 19 (UPI) -- Virginia Tech denies that it violated federal law by failing to issue a timely safety alert when a student went on a shooting spree in April 2007.

The school has released a point-by-point response to the U.S. Department of Education's preliminary review of the incident that left 32 people dead, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

The government concluded that the university should have provided more rapid information after two students were found shot to death in a dormitory.

The report cites a delay of nearly two hours between the discovery of two bodies in the campus dorm and the issuance of an e-mail threat advisory.

"Virginia Tech failed to issue adequate warnings in a timely manner in response to the tragic events of April 16, 2007," wrote federal officials in a report released Tuesday.

In its 73-page response, Virginia Tech's director of emergency management says officials acted appropriately "based on the best information then available."