Stanford settles mental health lawsuit

Stanford has settled a class-action lawsuit over its response to students with mental health issues, a legal nonprofit that filed the lawsuit on behalf of several students and a student mental health group announced yesterday. Last year, the nonprofit Disability Rights Advocates filed a lawsuit accusing the school of discriminating against students with mental health disabilities, including those who had been hospitalized for a suicide attempt. The complaint alleged that Stanford pressured some students to take leaves of absence and required them to meet "onerous" conditions to come back to school. Under the terms of the settlement, Stanford will revise its leave of absence and return policy and add staff who can help students with mental health disabilities get accommodations that might make it easier for them to avoid a leave of absence.