Everyone’s got different feelings about going back to school. For pregnant or parenting students, those feelings can be intimidating. But if you’re one of those students, we’re here to tell you that you can succeed in school. The keys are knowing your rights and knowing the resources you have to help you.
Pregnant and Parenting Students Have Rights Under Title IX
Your pregnancy or parenting responsibilities are no reason for your school to put up roadblocks to your successful studies or extracurricular activities. The Federal law known as Title IX makes such discrimination illegal:
“Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX states ‘No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance[.]’”
Specifically, Title IX is written to ensure you can still access all the educational opportunities you had even before you were pregnant.
What Title IX Requires of Your School
To help you continue to succeed in school, your school must:
- Allow you to continue participating in classes and extracurricular activities
- Allow you to choose whether or participate in alternative coursework for pregnant students. (The alternative must offer the same types of academic, extracurricular, and enrichment opportunities as the regular program.)
- Make reasonable adjustments as needed for pregnancy (such as desk size, bathroom break frequency, etc.)
If your pregnancy requires you to take medical leave, your school must:
- Excuse your absence from classes as long a doctor says it is necessary for pregnancy
- Allow you to return from medical leave with the same academic and extracurricular status as you had before your absence
- Allow you to make up work missed during an excused absence
- Provide the same kind of special services as they would for any student with a medical condition (This might be remote instruction, at-home tutoring, or independent study.)
On campus, your school must:
- Protect you from harassment
- Appoint a Title IX Coordinator, whose job includes helping students file a complaint
- Distribute school policies on sexual discrimination, the Title IX Coordinator’s contact information, and instructions for filing a complaint
You Have Resources as a Pregnant or Parenting Student
At school, you have a Title IX Coordinator to turn to, as well as many supportive teachers and staff. But what help is available outside of school? After all, you have more going on than just school!
For your non-school needs, Choices Pregnancy Center in Redwood Falls and Marshall, Minnesota, has advocates on staff who would be happy to help and support you during and beyond your pregnancy. They understand the challenges facing students who are pregnant and parenting, and want to see you succeed. (And they believe you can!)
You can turn to Choices Pregnancy Center for multiple types of support—at no cost to you:
Caring, compassionate mentoring. Our advocates always start off by taking time to listen to your concerns. Their goal is to empower you to develop solutions to your challenges and pathways to achieving your goals. Our advocates are available to meet with you in our offices, on your campus, or at another location that works for you.
Need assistance filing a Title IX complaint at school? We can help. Need emotional support? Right up our alley. Need a chance to slow down and figure out what to do next? We’ll give you a safe space to ask your questions, talk through feelings, evaluate options, and plan a way forward.
Easy, no-cost, one-on-one pregnancy and parenting classes. We have up-to-date educational video trainings you can learn from, either in our office, or on your own at home. What do you want to know more about—pregnancy, labor and delivery, raising children, relationships? Join our Earn While You Learn program and we’ll help you select video lessons that will equip you with confidence going forward.
Baby and maternity supplies. When you join our Earn While You Learn program, you’ll receive free vouchers you can cash in for baby supplies from diapers to strollers, as well as maternity supplies for yourself. It’s an easy way to provide for yourself and your child while learning to be a great parent!
A broad network of useful connections. We can help you connect with the people we know in your community who offer additional kinds of assistance. Whether your needs are for medical, housing, financial, or other help, we know who is out there for you.
You may also want to check out one of the helpful resources we often point our clients to, called Bridge to Benefits. Use their screening tool to help determine the kinds of help you may be eligible for through their programs.
You Have Rights and You Have Help
Your pregnancy doesn’t have to derail your education. Your school can support you, and so can the caring people at Choices Pregnancy Center. You don’t have to do this alone.
As a parent, you will become an advocate for your child—their hero, their protector and provider. Practice now by becoming an advocate for yourself. Know your rights as a student and know who your helpful resource people are, ready to encourage and support you.
Ready to reach out for some friends you can count on? Contact us today and let’s get started making sure you succeed in school—and parenting!