Relay will work with students should they require leaves of absence from Relay due to medical conditions and/or pregnancies. Students are encouraged to discuss plans for a leave of absence with their faculty advisor as soon as possible. All general leave of absence processes apply to medical and maternity leaves. See General Leaves of Absence for details.
Relay permits students with medical conditions and/or pregnant students and students who have given birth within six months to take a leave of absence if deemed “medically necessary” by a doctor. Students who wish to request a temporary medical or maternity leave of absence or who wish to request accommodations must submit medical documentation with their leave of absence application to demonstrate that temporary leaves or accommodations are medically necessary (e.g., doctor’s note on letterhead or proof that their short-term disability claim was approved). Pregnant students are encouraged to connect with their faculty advisor to fill out a Leave Plan to help plan their course involvement and accommodations throughout the term.
Relay will excuse students’ leaves of absences because of medical conditions, including pregnancy or childbirth, for as long as the students’ doctors deem their absences medically necessary. Relay will work with students during their leaves to minimize, to the extent possible, students falling behind in coursework.
Once students are ready to return to Relay, Relay will work with students to address how best to make up missed coursework and/or clinical work and get back on track toward program completion. Please see Returning to Relay for more information on the reenrollment process. Upon returning to Relay, the student might be asked to submit a Readiness to Return Form with their reenrollment paperwork signed and stamped by a medical professional stating that the student is healthy enough to return to their coursework at Relay. Students who take a medical or maternity leave of absence may not be required to pay for repeated coursework if official medical documentation was provided to Relay prior to their leave (e.g., doctor’s note on letterhead). Please see Repeat Coursework for more information.
If students have concerns about a particular professor’s attendance and/or coursework policy as it relates to their medical or maternity leave of absence, the student should contact their campus Dean's Office. For complaints of medical-condition or pregnancy-related discrimination, please see Student Grievance Policy.
Accommodations for Students with Medical Conditions
Upon the submission of all required documentation, Relay will engage in an interactive process with students who have medical conditions, including those students who are pregnant or have given birth within six months, to develop temporary accommodations that allow them access to the curriculum. The accommodations will align to students’ requests, medical documentation, Relay resources, and the students’ academic programs. While Relay commits to engage in the interactive process with all students who request accommodations, accommodations may be denied if the requested accommodation:
- is not feasible and sustainable at the local campus;
- puts an excessive financial and/or administrative burden on the institution;
- changes the nature of the academic program or our institution’s curriculum
- are personal in nature, e.g. requesting personal care attendants, personal readers, or personal devices.
- are not inappropriate in the context, even if directly related to the student’s disability.
Please see Relay’s Disability Policy for information on how to request accommodations due to a disability.