Colleges and universities are facing rising requests for emotional support animal (ESA) accommodations. To negotiate this challenge, institutions must establish policies that clearly outline both the institution’s and the student’s rights and responsibilities. EAB reviewed ESA practices at more than 100 institutions and found that most schools lack independent or comprehensive ESA policies, or have not updated their policies to reflect recent case law. As the number of ESA accommodation requests continues to increase, institutions must articulate comprehensive policies to reduce their legal exposure and ensure staff time and resources are optimized towards helping students with substantiated needs.
To help institutions fast-track their policy development or review process, EAB developed this ESA policy template. In it, we’ve incorporated essential lessons learned from 100+ reviewed practices and the U.S. Department of Justice-vetted policies established in settlements from the cases of University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK, 2015), Kent State University (KSU, 2016), and Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU, 2018).
Two ways to use EAB's ESA Policy TemplateUse our policy template as input into your policy development process. Combine with EAB’s ESA Issue Brief to educate and inform discussion with recommended campus partners as you craft your institution’s policies and practices.
If your existing policy pre-dates the 2015 UNK settlement or did not consider available case law during initial development, EAB recommends revisiting your policy to ensure it is consistent with available legal precedent. Use EAB’s template to inform your assessment and update your policy.
Who to InvolveWe recommend you engage these campus partners in developing or revising your ESA policy:
Chief Student Affairs OfficerGeneral CounselDirector of Disability/Accessibility…