Title IX protects pregnant and parenting students and employees. The following information outlines policies and resources available to those in that situation.
Title IX protects pregnant and parenting students from discrimination at school. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), 20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq., is a Federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex—including pregnancy and parental status—in educational programs and activities. All public and private schools, school districts, colleges, and universities receiving any Federal funds (“schools”) must comply with Title IX.
It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor in the laboratory courses as soon as the student knows about they are pregnant. If the student does not properly inform the instructor of the pregnancy or is unaware of the pregnancy, the instructor cannot properly advise or accommodate that student.
Students who seek an accommodation for pregnancy or a pregnancy-related condition may contact the Student Accessibility Services office.
Please refer to the following resources for student athletes who are pregnant or parenting:
NCAA: Pregnant & Parenting Student Athletes SCI: Pregnant Student-Athlete Participation Under Title IX Title IX and Athletics
The Universities are committed to providing equal access to employment for all current and prospective employees. The Universities recognize that employees and job applicants may not be treated less favorably because of pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions and that employees and job applicants may need reasonable accommodations for pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions to allow them to have effective opportunities to participate in or benefit from employment.
In accordance with the requirements of state law, and through the interactive process, the Universities will provide necessary, reasonable accommodations that will allow an employee to perform the essential functions of the job while pregnant or experiencing pregnancy-related conditions that exist during and/or after pregnancy (e.g., morning sickness, lactation, or the need to express milk), unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the University. The Universities recognize that they cannot make an employee accept a particular accommodation if another reasonable accommodation would allow the employee to perform the essential functions of the job, or require an employee to take a leave if another reasonable accommodation may be provided without an undue hardship.
Reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Upon the request from the employee or prospective employee, the Universities will engage in a timely, good faith and interactive process to determine an effective, reasonable accommodation to enable the employee to perform the essential functions of the position. The Universities recognize that they may require documentation regarding the need for an accommodation from a healthcare professional that explains what accommodation(s) the employee needs, but that they cannot require documentation for the following accommodations:
University employees who seek an accommodation for pregnancy or a pregnancy-related condition may contact the Executive Director, Chief Human Resources Officer, Sue Moore (smoore5@worcester.edu, 508-929-8117), for more information.
Employees or job applicants who believe that they have been a victim of discrimination as a result of pregnancy or a pregnancy-related condition, or who allege that the University has failed to provide reasonable accommodations, may initiate a claim as outlined in the Universities’ Complaint Investigation and Resolution procedures under the Equal Opportunity, Diversity & AA Plan. Further advice or information may be obtained by contacting the Director of Diversity, Inclusion, Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity, Maria Isabel Gariepy, at 508-929-8784. The discrimination complaint form can be found by visiting Diversity, Inclusion, & Equal Opportunity under Discrimination & Bias Incident Reporting.
The lactation room is a private space designated to accommodate an employee or student who is a nursing mother. Worcester State’s lactation room is located on the third floor of the student center, in the Student Affairs suite.
To report to Worcester State’s Title IX Coordinator; contact Jennifer Quinn, jquinn@worcester.edu, 508-929-8243.
To report to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), even if you have not filed a complaint with your school. If you file with OCR, make sure you do so within 180 days of when the discrimination took place.
In court, even if you have not filed a complaint with Worcester State or with OCR, contact OCR if you have any questions – they are help make sure all students, including pregnant and parenting students, have equal educational opportunities.
If you want to learn more about your rights, or if you believe that a school district, college, or university is violating Federal law, you may contact the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, at 800-421-3481 or ocr@ed.gov. If you wish to fill out a complaint form online, you may do so at:
OCR: Office for Civil Rights Complaint Forms
