MN SF4525

Enacts the "Minnesota Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act" establishing new requirements for higher education institutions to accommodate students with disabilities, effective January 1, 2025.

Requires each institution to adopt a transparent policy identifying sufficient documentation to establish disability status, including IEPs, Section 504 plans, licensed professional evaluations, military service documentation, and disability records from other institutions.

Mandates institutions disseminate disability policies and accommodation information to applicants, students, parents, and faculty in plain language and multiple languages reflecting the student body's primary languages through application materials, orientation, catalogs, and websites.

Requires institutions to contact admitted students about disabilities before term begins, not re-evaluate permanent disabilities, provide accommodation letters to instructors with student permission, and allow instructors refusing accommodations to provide written explanations to both the student and disability office.

Permits students denied accommodations to withdraw from classes without academic or financial penalty and repeals the previous Minnesota Statutes section 135A.16 governing student disability policies.