<p>I am looking for help on the rights of a student who took a voluntary leave of absence from school for an eating disorder. Has anyone out there have any experience on the readmission process. Does the student have rights under ADA or other Federal or state law to regain admission after successfully completing a therapy program. Can the school deny readmission or set an arbitrary standard for readmission? Thanks.</p>
<p>was the reason for the leave of absence known to the school at the time the student left? I'm thinking that might be important...</p>
<p>Are we talking about a public or private school? Not sure it makes a difference, but generally private schools have a lot more leeway in doing whatever they want. I'm sure at most campuses, though, taking a leave of absence for an eating disorder is completely legitimate, and you shouldn't have any problems for readmission. The only snag may be guarenteed campus housing- I know my school revokes the guarentee if you take ANY kind of leave of absence, except for school-sponsored study abroad. </p>
<p>Good luck! Eating disorders are a life-threatening issue, and taking time off to deal with it is absolutely the smart thing to do, regardless of readmission policies.</p>
<p>Yes, the school was aware of the reason for the leave of absence at the time the student left campus. It is a private school and housing isn't an issue. Thanks.</p>
<p>At my daughter's LAC, a medical leave of absence is readmitted when ready. Usually they ask for medical documentation to show the student is able to return, but otherwise they return without a problem.</p>
<p>I don't have any experieince with this other than checking into some of the policies of schools we were looking at it with an eye toward what constitutes a leave and what choices does the student have since we were sending son #1 far away from home and "what if" he decided he wanted to be closer to home what would we do. Most of the schools public and privates I looked at had formal policies to follow for leave of absence, some related to "before the leave occurs" and others related to the length of the leave with regard to how often the student had to "re-up" so to speak with various offices, one school I think it was University of Chicago allowed leaves to extend past a year, but the student had to stay in touch with various offices on a regular basis. I think your whole situation is dependent on the individual school, how the arranagement was made for the leave i.e, was it formalized prior to the student leaving or was the student "wisked" away without a plan in place. Most schools seem to publish this information fairly freely and have process for leaves of absence. It's possible if the student walks away for whatever reason with no arrangements in place, the school might require the student to reapply for admission. Which doesn't seem illegal or unethical to me but I'm not an attorney although it doesn't feel like something that would be covered under state or federal law. Perhaps some legals will speak up.</p>
<p>In my experience as a mental health professional, the only time the student must submit documentation to return to school is if they were asked to leave school to receive treatment. In this case the university mental health professionals are in contact with status of treatment outside of the university and will need documentation on treatment progress and recommendation that the student is well enough to resume school. If the problem has come to the attention of school officials, the voluntary leave may have these strings attached. I cannot speak to the legal issues you raised, but rather to my own experience with return to school after treatment.</p>
<p>Thanks. While the leave of absence was voluntary, the school sent a letter afterwards requiring the items you mentioned including evidence of the treatment program and a recommendation to return to school but also a specific BMI minimum that had to achieved before a return to campus. This seems unusual and perhaps extreme to the other experiences on this forum. Just wanted to know if others have ever heard of such a requirement.</p>
<p>That's unusual, since I've heard many medical experts find the BMI itself to be controversial. I've never heard that before. I wouldn't worry about it until the student is ready to apply for readmission. Obviously, your doctor should determine the healthy weight for your student and not the school.</p>
<p>I've worked in in-patient and residential programs for ED.s Most people relapse; it often takes several admissions before someone can handle life stresses. Colleges I've worked with have suggested that students continue with out-patient therapy and weekly meetings with dietician, and take a reduced #classes. Often the college has a psychiatrist/M.D./Ph.D. mantain contact with the outpatient therapist/treatment center. Its a collaborative process, with the goal of everyone to see the student learn a healthy life style and maintain health.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, I don't know the legal issues. I have no knowledge of any state or federal guidelines. I believe that all the colleges I've worked with are concerned if a student drops below 10% of the ideal body weight. All too often, when a student leaves the structure of a treatment ctr and/or family setting, they return to college and resume the E.D. behaviors. This happens within weeks, long before midterms or papers become a reality. </p>
<p>Sorry I cannot be of more help. I have NEVER seen a student denied readmission. I have found health center personnel and coaches to be concerned.</p>