Drafting and Enforcing Dismissal, Suspension and Leave Policies – On-Demand Training

Legally Protect Your Institution and Best Support Your Students

College and universities are frequently confronted with determining the best way to respond to students who are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. Often, these students may be persons with disabilities or may be perceived to have disabilities.

The struggle to balance the requirements of relevant disability laws, like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, with the concern that faculty and staff have regarding the wellbeing of students and the campus community is a daunting task.

Join our campus legal expert Hannah Ross for practical advice on action steps you can take to address safety risks to members of your community while ensuring your institution’s compliance. You will examine legal guidance and case law to support the decisions you will inevitably be faced with on your campus. Having the right policies and clarity about the legal authority for your institution’s position helps make those hard discussions easier.

Topics Covered

As a result of this webinar, you will be able to:

• Navigate various types of departures (leave of absence, withdrawal, disciplinary sanction) successfully based on the most up-to-date information on relevant laws, including the ADA and Section 504 – utilize strategies for how to document behavioral expectations and recommendations for treatment.
• Feel confident explaining your institution’s policies, and the various ways a departure or a return may play out – get the facts you need to help you make difficult decisions regarding your students’ and community members’ safety and well-being.
• Utilize strategies to apply a general code of conduct policies to all students, not only students with disabilities when making dismissal, suspension and readmission decisions regarding students who are a threat to self.
• Ensure your academic, behavior and mental health campus policies are written so there are no conflicts in your code of conduct or student handbook – audit your current policies to confirm they are compliant with the law.
• Draft institutional policies to ensure compliance with the law, and support decision making by administrators and behavioral intervention teams – adapt best practices to your campus in the short-term and the long-term.

Presenter

Hannah Ross currently serves as the General Counsel, Chief of Staff, and Secretary to the Corporation at Middlebury College in Vermont.
Click here for full bio.