Title IX Guidelines for Pregnant and Parenting Students
Originating Office
Student Affairs/Human Resources
Purpose
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Shippensburg University) is committed to creating and maintaining a community where all students enjoy freedom from discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of sex, as mandated by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). Shippensburg University hereby establishes guidelines for ensuring the protection and equal treatment of pregnant individuals, persons with pregnancy-related conditions, and new parents.
Scope
This policy applies to all undergraduate and graduate students at Shippensburg University.
Policy
Under the Department of Education’s (DOE) Title IX regulations, an institution that receives federal funding “shall not discriminate against any student or exclude any student from its education program or activity, including any class or extracurricular activity, on the basis of such student’s pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery therefrom.” According to the DOE, appropriate treatment of a pregnant student includes granting the student leave “for so long a period of time as is deemed medically necessary by the student’s physician,” and then effectively reinstating the student to the same status as was held when the leave began.
Responsibilities
Students experiencing pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery therefrom will be treated the same as someone who has a temporary disability for purposes of determining what accommodations may be granted. Any student requesting a pregnancy-related accommodation under this policy should contact the University Office of Student Accessibility Resources to request an accommodation:
Office of Accessibility Resources
1871 Old Main Drive, Shippensburg, PA 17257
Mowrey Hall 252
Phone: (717) 477-1364
Fax: (717) 477-4094
Email: oar@ship.edu
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
As with disability accommodations, information about a pregnant student’s request for accommodations will be shared with faculty and staff only to the extent necessary to provide the reasonable accommodation. Faculty and staff will regard all information associated with such requests as private and will not disclose this information unless necessary.
Nothing in this policy will be applied to alter the fundamental requirements of any academic program.
Compliance
Any member of the Shippensburg University community may report a violation of these guidelines to the Title IX Coordinator, who is responsible for overseeing complaints of discrimination involving pregnant and parenting students. The Title IX Coordinator for Shippensburg University is Dr. John Burnett, Office of Human Resources, JABurnett@ship.edu.
Lactation Rooms
There are several lactation rooms available on campus in the following locations:
- Horton Hall - Rm. 102
- Lehman Library - 2nd Fl., Rm 203 (Note: Circulation desk has the key)
- PAGE Center – CUB Rm. 232