At Choate, medical leave serves as a support system to allow those who are unable to fully engage at school for medical reasons to take some time off.
Unfortunately, because the program has been shrouded in mystery, it tends to be misunderstood and stigmatized. So, it is crucial to open up dialogue and help students understand how the system aims to help them.
While students may not always agree with the suggestion of medical leave initially, the School sees taking time away from campus as an opportunity to focus on mental health and well-being.
“Supporting you is sometimes doing the hard thing for you,” said Sixth-Form Dean Mr. Will Gilyard ’98. “And I got no problem with that.”
Medical leave is often mistaken as a disciplinary action rather than a supportive system. Part of the stigma surrounding medical leave stems from the false perception that it is a catch-all response, indifferent to students’ specific needs.
Contrary to these beliefs, medical leave is a resource to support students when other solutions have not been sufficient. As the Student Handbook states on page 59, “The length of time for other medical leaves of absence shall be determined on an individual, case-by-case basis.” Dean of Students Mr. Michael Velez ’00 explained, “We exhaust all of our resources before we’re talking about a student going on leave.”
Choate recognizes each student’s unique struggles. “Sometimes there is a mental or physical health component, which necessitates a leave. Sometimes, there are family circumstances — when a student just needs time away from school,” said Mr. Velez.
The School maintains a line of close communication with students while they are on medical leave. “When a kid goes on med leave, I talk to them for the rest of the entire year. They don’t disappear,” Mr. Gilyard said.
The Counseling department, College Counseling Office, deans, and advisers work together to support each and every student to ensure the smoothest possible return to campus.
Mr. Gilyard emphasized, “All the people who I’ve worked with who have gone on med leave — those who are back now and are coming back in the future — have had good experiences being off.”
One such student is Ramsey Scott ’23, who went on medical leave during the spring term of the 2021-2022 school year. His dean at the time, Ms. Laura van Mierlo, recommended that he go on medical leave due to his Type 1 diabetes becoming harder to manage at school. Scott was not enthusiastic when he first heard about the plan. “It’s difficult seeing them [Class of 2022] graduate and then not walking across the stage with them,” he said.
After further reflections, however, Scott concluded, “I could definitely see the benefit in the future even if it wasn’t necessarily apparent at this moment.” After reclassing and joining the Class of 2023, he reflected, “I would definitely go back and do it again, because this year, I was in a much better position to succeed medically and academically.”
Removing the stigma around medical leave allows struggling students to receive the support they need. When asked about holding Q&A sessions to dispel some of the confusion surrounding medical leave, Associate Director of Counseling Mrs. Judith Bender said, “I think that we really need to do that. There’s always been questions about what we do in the Counseling department.”
Mrs. Bender proposed ideas of open conversations at form meetings to clarify the process of medical leave and the importance of physical and mental health in general. This would be a step in the right direction towards a better understanding of the purpose of medical leave in the community.
