As a university or college student, you trust your school to provide an education in a supportive environment. When a student faces a medical or mental health crisis, it's natural to expect their school to help protect the student, their health, and their academic future.

Unfortunately, too many U.S. colleges and universities do not have a withdrawal or leave of absence policy for students who need to withdraw from classes for medical reasons, including a mental health crisis. Instead, these schools process withdrawal requests on a case-by-case basis and with inconsistent results. At a time when a student in crisis most needs the support of their educational community, institutions of higher education often drop the ball.

If a college or university refuses to accommodate your or your student's medical or mental health needs, the Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team is here to help. Contact us at 888-535-3686 or online to discuss your case.

Howard University Fails to Accommodate Student's Mental Health Needs

As a freshman at Howard University (Howard), Durmerrick Ross suffered a mental health crisis. In response, he moved home and asked to withdraw from his courses. Believing Howard had approved his request, Ross applied to transfer to other schools. He then learned that because Howard had not finalized his withdrawal, his transcript included an entire semester of Fs.

Ross's subsequent efforts to correct his transcript proved futile. Instead of approving his request, Howard requested duplicative forms, failed to respond to Ross's inquiries, and allowed the withdrawal process to stall further.

Eventually, Ross filed a complaint with the D.C. Office of Human Rights (OHR), alleging that Howard failed to accommodate his mental illness by refusing his withdrawal request. After its investigation, the OHR determined that Howard did not provide Ross with a reasonable accommodation based on his disability when the university denied his request to withdraw from class and failed to offer an effective alternate accommodation.

Howard, like many other schools, did not have a policy for medical or mental health leaves of absence or withdrawals. Instead, the school managed each request individually, resulting in unpredictable and arbitrary outcomes. Students in crisis were sometimes expected to negotiate their needed accommodations on a class-by-class, professor-by-professor basis.

Protecting Students From Arbitrary and Harmful Withdrawal Policies

At the Lento Law Firm, students are our top priority. We can help strategize with you about the best methods to negotiate reasonable accommodations, including a withdrawal, with your school. If your school refuses to help, the experienced attorneys at the Lento Law Firm can lay the groundwork for filing a lawsuit. The decision to strategically negotiate with a school while preparing to litigate often results in a college or university agreeing to reasonable accommodations.

To partner with the Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team in protecting yourself or your student, call us at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.