People from all walks of life attend college and Title IX account for this. Its main purpose is to prevent individuals from being discriminated against based on their gender identity and sexual orientation.
Importantly, the legislation also covers pregnancy discrimination. What does pregnancy discrimination look like in educational institutions?
Not being allowed access to an education
Educational programs should be as accessible as possible. Title IX makes it unlawful for any institution to prevent a person from enrolling because of their pregnancy. Crucially, if a school feels it may be helpful, they can enact courses that make further accommodations for pregnant students. Nonetheless, such programs must be run solely on a voluntary basis and their curriculum must be comparable to the standard course material being offered to other students.
Being penalized for maternity leave or medical appointments
It is likely that pregnant students will need some time off for medical appointments or potential complications with the pregnancy. Educational institutions are not allowed to penalize students for taking medical leave in such situations. Additionally, a student must be allowed to return to the same academic year and status that they held before taking medical leave.
Students should also not be prohibited from submitting assignments due to requiring medical leave for pregnancy. Work received after a deadline should still be counted towards the final grade on a course module. Where grades rely on attendance only, there should also be no penalties due to pregnancy-related medical leave.
Nobody should be denied access to educational rights because of discrimination. If you feel that you have been singled out because of your pregnancy, be sure to explore your legal rights in further detail.