The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. The Department's Title IX regulations prohibit discrimination based on pregnancy and related conditions in institutions that receive Federal funds. The regulations make clear that Title IX protects students and employees who are pregnant or who have either had a termination of pregnancy (including, for example, miscarriage, abortion, etc.), have gone through childbirth, or are recovering from any of those conditions.
If you are a GVSU employee (including graduate assistants, resident assistants, and student employees) who learns that a GVSU student is affected by pregnancy, childbirth or pregnancy-related conditions, you must inform that individual how to seek assistance from the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX and provide the Title IX Coordinator's contact information. Please use this form to document the disclosure and receive an automated email reply that you may share with that individual to fulfill your compliance requirement. The form does not collect any information about the person affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy-related conditions.
Pregnant and Parenting Students
Title IX requires that GVSU provide reasonable adjustments to students due to pregnancy and related conditions such as childbirth, miscarriage, termination, etc. Grand Valley is committed to supporting pregnant students throughout the course of their studies. Information about your pregnancy will be treated confidentially and sensitively on a need-to-know basis with consent. Students are granted a leave of absence for as long as it is deemed medically necessary by a doctor. At the conclusion of the leave, the student may be allowed to resume the status held when the leave began. A memo will be created with you to ensure reasonable accommodations are made and your needs are met during your pregnancy, following the birth, and when you return to study.
Visit the Student Accessibility Resources page to make requests for any reasonable accommodations.
If you need to make a report of discrimination please use the online reporting form.
Please reach out if you have any questions regarding your rights as a pregnant or parenting student.
Examples of Reasonable Accommodation
|
Accommodation Type |
Examples of Who May Benefit |
What it Provides |
How to Enact it |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Excused Absences |
Those with morning sickness, complications, delivery, postpartum depression, etc. |
Protects students from penalization for missing class because of pregnancy or pregnancy-related issues. |
Students with this accommodation should communicate as soon as they know they will be absent and contact Accessibility Resources if absences are common. |
|
Breaks |
Those who have difficulty sitting or standing for long periods. Those who need to pump. |
Time to step out of the class, lab, or site to meet one’s needs. |
Students will work with instructors to identify how to take a break in the least disruptive way. |
|
Extended time on assignments |
Those who are having difficulties during their pregnancy and those difficulties are impeding their ability to get school work done. |
Extra time to complete an assignment. |
Students will work with Accessibility and their Faculty. |
|
Food/Water in class |
Those who need to eat or drink in a class where it is otherwise prohibited. |
An opportunity to either eat/drink in class or step out to do so. |
Students will work with instructors to identify how to utilize this accommodation in the safest and least disruptive way. |
|
Chair/Table |
Students who, due to their pregnancy, require a separated chair/desk space to provide adequate space for their abilities. |
A movable chair separate from a desk. |
Students can make a furniture request by contacting Accessibility Resources. |
|
Access to missed work, exams, lecture, etc. |
Students who miss any of these due to their pregnancy, complications, or delivery. |
Access to complete their course. |
Students will work with Accessibility Resources and their Faculty. |
|
Extra time on exams |
Students who may have needs or demands from pregnancy that cause disruption for them during exams. |
Extra time to accommodate the unexpected demands of pregnancy. |
Students will work with Accessibility Resources and their Faculty. |
Pregnant and Parenting Students FAQ
Where can a student seek assistance for pregnancy or child birth-related accommodations?
Pregnant students may contact Accessibility Resources to request assistance with accommodations. Examples of accommodations include, but are not limited to, rescheduling tests or exams, excusing absences, submitting work after a deadline, providing alternatives to make up missed work, or retaking a semester. Accessibility Resources may facilitate communications with the student’s professors or assist with other university resources.
Pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions may necessitate absences. Will those absences be excused?
Yes. Absences due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions must be excused and cannot be treated or penalized like unexcused absences. Depending on the length of the absence and area of instruction, it may be academically necessary for the student to take a leave of absence. Professors must provide a leave of absence for pregnant students for as long as it is deemed necessary by their medical doctor. Professors may require a doctor’s note for pregnancy –related absences only if a doctor’s note is required to excuse other medically-related absences.
Can a professor prevent a pregnant student from attending class?
No. Under Title IX, the University cannot exclude someone from class based on their pregnancy. The University can only require a pregnant student to provide a doctor’s certification of fitness to continue in an education program or activity if the same requirement is imposed on all other students with medical conditions requiring a doctor’s care.
What happens when a pregnant student misses assignments, tests, exams etc. due to an excused absence?
After an excused absence due to pregnancy, childbirth, or any related medical conditions, professors must allow a reasonable time for the student to make up missed assignments and tests. This is true regardless of the professor’s typical makeup assignment policy. Depending on the nature of the course, making up the exact missed assignment might not be feasible. The makeup work does not have to be exactly the same as the missed work, but needs to be reasonably equivalent.
Can pregnant students be penalized for their absence if grades in a class are based on attendance or participation?
A student may not be penalized for absences known to be due to pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical conditions. A professor cannot reduce a pregnant student’s grade because of attendance or participation points that the student missed during excused absences due to their pregnancy-related conditions. The professor must give the student a reasonable opportunity to earn back the credit missed due to pregnancy.
Can a pregnant student participate in internships and other off-campus programs?
Yes. Pregnant students cannot be excluded from University-related off-campus programs, such as internships, off-campus activities, University-sponsored activities, and other extracurricular activities. A professor cannot require a doctor’s note to show fitness to participate unless it is required for all students in the program.
Does the University have to provide special services to pregnant students?
The University must provide the same services to pregnant students that it provides to other students with temporary disabilities.
What if a student or professor makes an offensive or inappropriate remark about a student's pregnancy?
The University will not tolerate harassment based on sex or gender, including harassment based on pregnancy and related conditions. If a pregnant student experiences harassment based on their pregnancy, they are encouraged to consider reporting this to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX (OCR & Title IX). If a faculty or staff member witnesses or learns about harassment of a pregnant student, they should immediately notify OCR & Title IX so that it can take prompt and effective steps to end the pregnancy-related harassment, prevent its recurrence, and eliminate any hostile environment created by the harassment. The same grievance procedures applicable to complaints of sexual misconduct also apply to discrimination based on pregnancy or parental status. Title IX prohibits a school’s retaliation against an individual for filing a complaint or raising concerns about the rights of a pregnant and parenting student.
Does the University have designated areas for breast/chest-feeding, pumping, or to address other needs related to breast/chest-feeding throughout the day?
GVSU provides multiple rooms across campus to create a safe, quiet, and private place to express milk for parents who are choosing to breastfeed or pump.
As a faculty member, how can I best support a pregnant student?
When a pregnancy is disclosed to you, start by asking the student what they would require to be successful during the semester. Creating an open line of communication is the best way to support your pregnant students. Encourage the student to contact Accessibility Resources.
Pregnant and Parenting Employees
Federal Protections for Pregnant Workers
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees job-protected leave for prenatal care or when a pregnant worker is unable to work because of the pregnancy. The FMLA also provides a right to take leave for required counseling, court appointments and related travel prior to foster care placement or adoption.
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) requires covered employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” to a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an “undue hardship.”
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII) prohibits discrimination and harassment based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions in any aspect of employment including hiring, firing, pay, promotions, training and more.
Federal Protections for Postpartum and Pumping Workers
The FMLA provides eligible employees of covered employers a right to unpaid, jobprotected leave for their baby’s birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care. This right is afforded for the birth or placement, and to bond with the child within the first year after birth or placement.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as amended by the PUMP Act, requires most employers to provide covered nursing workers reasonable break time and a private space, other than a bathroom, to pump breast milk for one year after the baby’s birth.
The protections of the PWFA and Title VII also apply to postpartum and pumping workers.
It’s important that workers and employers also understand that Title VII, the PWFA, FLSA, and FMLA protect workers from discrimination or retaliation when they question employer practices or assert their rights.
Visit U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for more information on pregnancy-related discrimination.
Contact the Office of Civil rights & Title IX to make a report of discrimination or use the online reporting form.
Employees seeking accommodations should contact Employee Accessibility Resources at (616) 331-2490
Resources For Pregnant and Parenting Faculty, Staff, and Students
Postpartum Recovery Support
Our office supports students during their postpartum recovery. This includes recovery from not only childbirth, but also loss of pregnancy, false pregnancy, and other medically necessary situations related to pregnancy. The duration of this absence is determined between the student and their healthcare provider. The student must be allowed to return to their same academic standing and may not be academically penalized. There are many supportive measures for pregnant and parenting students, Accessibility Resources to learn more on how we can support you!
Childcare Support
Healthcare Resources
- For Reproductive healthcare
- GVSU Health Hub
- On-Campus Health Services Directory
- HELP Pregnancy Aid
- Ottawa County Maternal Infant Health Program
- Positive Options
- Alpha Grand Rapids
- Alpha Care Center
- Pregnancy Resource Center
- Free Help for Moms
- University Counseling Center
- Kent County Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services
Legal Resources
- Know Your Rights- Pregnant or Parenting?: Title IX Protects You From Discrimination at School – U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights
- National Women’s Law Center
Financial Education and Support Resources
- Financial Wellness at GVSU
- MoneySmart Lakers
- Budgeting for a Baby
- Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman Infants and Children (WIC)
Office of Civil Rights and Title IX
4015 James H. Zumberge Hall
(616) 331-9530
[email protected]