Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities including academic, educational, extracurricular, athletic, and other programs or activities of schools. Under the Department of Education’s Title IX regulations, an institution that receives federal funding “shall not discriminate against any student or exclude any student from its education program or activity, including any class or extracurricular activity, on the basis of such student’s pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery therefrom.” In other words, pregnant or parenting students have the right to stay in school.
Schools must provide equal access to school programs and extracurricular activities to students who might be, are, or have been pregnant. Schools are required to provide pregnant students, and students with related conditions such as childbirth, or false pregnancy, with at least the same special services as it provides to students with other temporary conditions. For example, if a school provides homebound instruction or take-home assignments to students who miss school for illnesses, they must do the same for a student who misses school as a result of pregnancy or childbirth. Further, any rules concerning parental, family, or marital status may not apply differently based on sex. For example, universities cannot provide women with time to bond with or care for their children and not men. Students with questions or concerns about Tulane’s obligations under Title IX should contact the Title IX Office.
Student who believe that they may have experienced pregnancy discrimination can file a complaint with the Title IX office by contacting the office at 504-865-5611 or titleix@tulane.edu, visiting the office in Jones Hall 308, or filing a report at tulane.edu/concerns.
Although pregnancy on its own is not a considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) pregnant students with related medical conditions may also be eligible for disability protections and services under the ADA. Pregnant students with questions about the ADA should consult with the Goldman Center for Student Accessibility.
Pregnancy-related academic modifications can include extended deadlines, make‐up assignments (e.g., papers, quizzes, tests, and presentations), tutoring, independent study, online course completion options, and incomplete grades that can be completed at a later date, should all be employed, in addition to any other ergonomic and assistive supports typically provided by the Goldman Center. As with disability accommodations and all other Title IX matters, information about pregnant students’ requests for modifications will be shared with faculty and staff only to the extent necessary to provide the reasonable modification. Faculty and staff will regard all information associated with such requests as private and will not disclose this information unless necessary. Pregnancy-related academic modifications are approved on a case-by-case basis.
Visit the For Students section of this website to learn more about pregnancy-related academic modifications and the process for requesting them.
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