Pregnancy and Parenting Resources

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex – including pregnancy and parental status – in educational programs and activities and in employment.
The Title IX Compliance & Discrimination and Harassment Prevention (Title IX/DHP) Office can assist students and employees who need assistance while pregnant and/or parenting. This office also responds to reports of discrimination on the basis of pregnancy or parental status. Please contact us if you would like to schedule an information session.

Rights

• Pregnant students can participate in classes and extra-curricular activities without submitting a doctor’s note. However, a doctor’s note is required for a medical leave and certain accommodations.
• Pregnant students and employees are provided the same special services (e.g., excused absences, appropriate academic adjustments, alternative work assignments) as those with temporary disabilities or medical conditions.
• Student absences due to pregnancy or childbirth should be excused for as long as a doctor says they are medically necessary.
• Students and employees are entitled to return to the same academic, extracurricular, and employment status that they held before their medical leave began.
• Instructors may not refuse to allow students to submit work after a deadline missed due to pregnancy or childbirth. Students must also be allowed to make up any participation or attendance credits missed due to pregnancy or childbirth.

Accommodations

Pregnant students and employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations. Contact the Title IX/DHP Office, Disabled Students Program, or Workplace Accommodations Specialist (in Human Resources) for assistance accessing accommodations.

Some examples of reasonable accommodations include:

• Academic: alternative testing times/locations, note-taking assistance, frequent breaks during class, and testing for restroom/lactation needs;
• Facility access: lactation rooms, campus overnight lockers, elevator access;
• Housing: the opportunity to apply for Family Housing; and
• Employment: modified work duties, appropriate seating, frequent breaks for restroom/lactation needs.

Reporting

It’s a good idea to keep notes about your pregnancy-related absences and any instances of potential discrimination or harassment.

• To make a report of potential discrimination or harassment, submit a report to the Title IX/DHP Office by clicking on “File a Report” on the office’s homepage: https://titleix-dhp.ucsb.edu/.
• To file a grievance with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), submit a report at www.ed.gov/ocr/complaintintro.html within 180 days of when the discrimination took place. You can submit a grievance with OCR even if you have not filed a complaint with UCSB’s Title IX/DHP Office.