PROVIDENCE, RI – Brown University is due to revise its mental health vacation policy for students after engaging with the US Department of Justice over allegations that the school violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), agreed.
Federal officials said the settlement clarified the Justice Department’s findings that Brown University did not allow students who had taken medical leave for psychological reasons to return to school when they were ready to return to campus life.
Officials said their investigation found that between fall 2012 and spring 2017, dozens of students were denied readmission to Brown after taking a mental health vacation. These students qualified for a return to Brown, and each of the student’s medical supervisors reported to Brown that the students were ready to resume their studies and participate in campus life, federal officials said.
As part of the settlement, Brown revised its student vacation policies, offered ADA training to faculty and staff, and paid $ 684,000 to compensate the affected students.
“Universities play a vital role in delivering the ADA’s promise of equal opportunities for people with disabilities,” said Richard Myrus, acting US Attorney for Richard Rhode Island. “Rather than placing additional barriers on students wishing to return to campus after a medical vacation, universities need to adequately accommodate students treating their mental disabilities. I would like to thank Brown University for their cooperation during our investigation and their willingness to address the issues, “identified and compensated those students who were wrongly denied readmission.”
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