The US Department of Education and Office for Civil Rights released new Title IX requirements regarding pregnant and parenting students in June 2013.
The requirements and suggestions include:
- Schools must excuse student’s absences because of pregnancy or childbirth for as long as the student’s doctor deems the absences medically necessary.
- Absence policies in classes must accommodate pregnancy or childbirth related absences and allow for make-up work. “A teacher may not refuse to allow a student to submit work after a deadline that she missed because of absences due to pregnancy or childbirth. Additionally, if a teacher’s grading is based in part on class attendance or participation, the student should be allowed to earn the credits she missed so that she can be reinstated to the status she had before the leave.”
- “A school may offer the student alternatives to making up missed work, such as retaking a semester, taking part in an online course credit recovery program, or allowing the student additional time in a program to continue at the same pace and finish at a later date, especially after longer periods of leave. The student should be allowed to choose how to make up the work.”
The UNT Dean of Students Office will provide a Verified Absence slip for parenting students (both male and female) who need to take their children to doctors’ appointments or to take care of their sick children as long as they provide proper documentation. Students needing this documentation should contact the Dean of Students Office.
If you would like to read more about these requirements and guidelines the link is provided below:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/pregnancy.pdf