Title IX: Pregnancy and Parenting

Title IX prohibits FDU from discriminating against persons based on pregnancy and related conditions such as childbirth, false pregnancy, pregnancy termination, or recovery from any of these conditions.

Your basic rights as mandated by Title IX include:

  • You have equal access to classes and activities. 
  • Your school/department cannot make you take time off if you don’t want to. 
  • If you do take time off, your school/department must allow you to return to the same academic and extracurricular status you had before you left. They must also give you a chance to make up missed work. 
  • You cannot be excluded from a special program because you are pregnant or experiencing a related condition. 
  • Your school/department cannot make you change your major or degree program because you are pregnant or experiencing a related condition. They also cannot force you to attend an alternate program, like an evening program. 
  • You can take part in activities for as long as you want. Your school/department cannot stop you from joining clubs, going to events, or participating in research unless the same rules apply for all students who have a temporary medical condition. 
  • Any lactating student has the right to a clean and private lactation space on campus.

 

New Jersey Law also protects the rights of pregnant students:

  • Institutions of higher education are prohibited from requiring a student to take a leave of absence, withdraw from an associate, bachelor’s or graduate program or limit their studies due to pregnancy or issues related to pregnancy.
  • Schools are required to provide pregnant students with reasonable accommodations, for example allowing students to maintain a safe distance away from hazardous materials or make up examinations missed due to pregnancy-related issues, for the successful completion of coursework and research. Institutions would be required to develop, adopt and distribute policies regarding pregnancy discrimination.
  • A graduate student who chooses to take a leave of absence because they are pregnant or have recently given birth will be allowed a minimum of 12 months to prepare for and take preliminary and qualifying examinations. The normative time to degree while in candidacy for a degree for a pregnant graduate student would be increased in an amount equal to the length of the leave of absence, unless a longer extension is medically necessary. The law also allows a graduate student who is not the birth parent to take additional time to prepare for preliminary and qualifying examinations if he or she needs to care for his or her partner or child. 

 

To assist with ensuring that these rights are met, FDU can provide reasonable accommodations. Please contact your campus Deputy Title IX Coordinator for more information or to request accommodations.

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