The Milton Hershey School, already under federal investigation, has come under additional scrutiny in a report by Philly.com that asserts that the boarding school for impoverished students is refusing to allow two students back onto campus after they attempted suicide. The newspaper cites the mother of one of the students, who lives in Lancaster and has filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

The mothers of the two students said the school placed their children on "medical leaves of absence" and returned them home, the report said.

The $12.3-billion school earlier this year came under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, which is conducting a civil rights probe into whether the Milton Hershey violated the federal disabilities act. The probe is examining whether the private boarding school fails to enroll children with physical disabilities and expels students with mental health problem.

An off-campus suicide in 2013 triggered the probe. The parents of 14-year-old Abbie Bartels, who died that year by suicide, filed the lawsuit, accusing the boarding school of causing her death by expelling and barring after she expressed a desire to harm herself.

Hershey School spokeswoman Lisa Scullin said the because of student confidentiality she was unable to elaborate on the latest case.

Scullin did lay out how the school handles such cases.

"I can say that when a student is very rarely placed on a medical leave of absence it is due to a physical or mental health issue that requires a high level of care and attention, beyond what a school can provide," she said. "Medical leaves are granted on a case by case basis and never taken lightly. The recommendation is made with the expert guidance and consideration of child-welfare and medical professionals here as well as doctors or psychiatrists not affiliated with MHS. We work with the family and external healthcare providers to ensure an appropriate and accessible treatment plan is developed for a student while on leave.

She added that the Milton Hershey offers students a wide range of services from individual and group psychotherapy to clinical and behavioral groups. The school last year spent close to $16 million on medical care, she said. Less than one half of one percent of students required treatment that the school could not provide. In such cases medical leave is at times necessary, she said.

"Our goal is always to do what is best for the individual child and all children entrusted in our care," Scullin said. "It's important to remember that, first and foremost, we are a school for high-potential children from poverty. Our mission is to help them acquire the academic, career and social-emotional skills they need to lead productive and fulfilling lives."

In addition to the legal action taken by the Bartels family, the family of Adam Dobson, a Milton Hershey student, in June also filed a lawsuit in Philadelphia federal court claiming that the boarding school discriminated against their son as a result of his depression and suicidal thoughts.

Federal disabilities law holds that an institution must reasonably accommodate individuals with mental or physical disabilities.

Editor's note: This story has been updated.