Students Examine Med Leave Process

Under circumstances in which medical issues are too severe to be addressed sufficiently at the Academy, the Dean of Students Office may advise a medical leave lasting up to three terms. Despite Dean of Health and Wellness Gordon Coole’s claim that a medical leave is “completely therapeutic” and “definitely a fair practice,” the uncertainty of initial terms agreed upon by the student and administration has led some to question the integrity and fairness of the medical leave process.

Coole emphasized that medical leaves are given for strictly health-related reasons and have nothing to do with the disciplinary process, even in cases involving drug or alcohol usage. “A medical leave is given in situations where students’ health needs are negatively impacting their performance in the classroom or a residential setting such that they need to focus their time on restoring their health without the added burden of doing homework or attending classes,” Coole said.

“There’s a foundation that we want them to return, but we need to have a limit to how long a student can be away and come back and still be a viable student,” Coole said

He added, “If a student is using drugs in a manner that is more problematic than they can address here, it’s a health problem. We’re sending them home so they can deal with the health issue that’s causing the drug problem.”

Anyone on campus—including advisers, peers, coaches, musical teachers, student listeners, proctors or parents—can suggest a student would benefit from taking a medical leave. “Concern from students is very important,” Coole said. “You guys know each other far better than the adults do.”

In many cases, parents are the first to alert the administration about a potential health concern. “Often, the first trigger is a parent who calls and says, ‘I’m a little worried about my son—he doesn’t call home frequently enough or doesn’t return my calls or just seems down on the phone,’” Coole said.

Josh Hemintakoon ’17, who was placed on leave for a year from 2015 to 2016 for health issues, said that he had initially felt betrayed when he was put on leave, but was now grateful for the progress that he made while he was away.

“I thought that med leave indicated the premature end of my Exeter career, a dire situation for a financial aid student who would have to secure a scholarship in the middle of the year to return,” he said. “In retrospect, I firmly believe if I had attempted to power through upper spring, that I would have been kicked out for deficient academic performance,” he said. “I’m extremely grateful for the time I had off. In my case, like many others but with varying stories, med leave prevented me from getting kicked out.”

While Hemintakoon’s leave lasted for a year, the initial agreement for a medical leave can be flexible. The administration generally does not specify the length of a leave, but Coole explained that there are exceptions “depending on what we perceive to be the gravity of the problem.” However, even in the latter case, the med leave is open to modification. Based on monthly check-ins with the family, the leave can either be shortened or lengthened.

The administration decides whether to allow a student to return based on its monthly communications with the family, two narratives submitted by the student and their parents and an official recommendation from a private clinician.

Coole said that the documents can be “very subjective” and skewed by a strong desire to return, however, making them less than completely reliable. “We really try to dissect the letters. The veracity, the accuracy of the report is something we really have to comb out, because the student definitely wants to come back, and I’d say the parent in almost all cases feels the same way,” he said.

Christy*, who was placed on medical leave last term, recognized the value in taking a leave. “I think it was reasonable to assume that leaving Exeter for a little while would benefit me, although I was hesitant because in my case going home wasn’t a great option,” she said.

However, she voiced frustration about the school’s extension of her leave. She had originally expected to return this spring, but was informed by the administration that she would have to wait until next year. “I was told that because I stepped forward and said that I needed to go on med leave and because it was early enough in the term, I was almost guaranteed a spot in the spring,” she said.

“Halfway through the time I thought I was going to be gone from school, the school informed me that they felt I needed more time to resolve my issues and that I was not going to be considered for re-admission in the spring. I was not given a chance to dispute their decision, and I still have to prove myself to the school during the summer so they will allow me to come back in the fall,” she said.

In a typical year, the Academy sends between seven and 10 students on medical leave. The Academy policy states that a student can remain on leave for up to three terms and still maintain their student status. 

“There’s a foundation that we want them to return, but we need to have a limit to how long a student can be away and come back and still be a viable student,” Coole said, elaborating that the conditions of a student’s return depend solely on their recovery.

According to the Academy’s medical staff, more than 90 percent of all students who take a medical leave of absence return to school, fulfill their diploma requirements and graduate.

Tracy*, an alum who was placed on medical leave last year for drug and alcohol use, expressed great frustration with the Academy’s decisions about her case, stating that the administration had been misinformed. “I have nothing good to say about how the administration handles med leaves,” she said. “I went through all the hoops in terms of getting the help I needed, emotionally and physically. An unnamed source had come forward with information that I was drinking and using drugs every weekend. This false allegation was one that they had no proof to support and that I adamantly denied.”

Tracy continued that the administration’s decision to place her on medical leave had not been in her best interest, as her family life was not optimal for her recovery. 

“They didn’t care what was best for me. They didn’t even launch an investigation into the charges. No inquiries were made as to how I ended up blackout drunk, unable to function or speak in the middle of the forest with a fellow classmate,” she said. “Less than a week after I confronted the administration about my sexual assault, which happened on their campus under their supervision, they sent me home on med leave without evidence-based cause.”

Despite Coole’s statement that the purpose of a medical leave is to distance students from the root cause of their medical issues, Tracy explained that the leave had the completely opposite outcome in her case, as an abusive family situation had led her to use drugs and alcohol in the first place. “My abusive mother had recently come up for parents’ weekend and I was struggling dealing with the aftermath of this visit,” Tracy said.

Dean of Students Melissa Mischke, who did not comment directly about Tracy’s case, said that the administration’s only consideration when deciding whether to send a student on medical leave is the extent to which the school can support the student’s medical issue. “If somebody were to have a drug or alcohol addiction that was larger than what we were able to support, that would also be a situation where we would recommend some professional targeted therapy outside the school. It’s really about what can we do and if we can’t do it, then we need to think about other things,” she said.

Tracy nonetheless disputed the integrity of the administration’s decision in her case. Tracy said, “I’m not discrediting my behavior, but it definitely could have been handled with help and care rather than brushing the issue away.”