October 12, 2022
During a time when access to the full range of reproductive health care options is changing in the national landscape, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released the Discrimination Based on Pregnancy and Related Conditions fact resource. This resource emphasizes and clarifies universities’ existing Title IX obligations to protect students and employees who are pregnant, give birth, or experience the loss or termination of a pregnancy.
Title IX’s goal is to ensure persons who are pregnant or experiencing pregnancy-related conditions are not denied or limited in their access to an educational program or activity. Thus, Title IX aims to help pregnant students remain in school, help pregnant employees remain at work, and/or ensure someone who recently gave birth–or who experienced the loss or termination of a pregnancy– can return to school or work.
The fact resource includes information pertinent to students, employees, and employment applicants, and discusses:
- The prohibition of discrimination and/or exclusion based on pregnancy or related conditions
- The obligation to treat pregnancy and related conditions the same as any other temporary disability
- The requirement to provide leaves of absence for students and employees
- The option to file a complaint through a school’s grievance procedures or the Office for Civil Rights
If you are a student seeking support or accommodations for pregnancy or related conditions, you are encouraged to work directly with your instructors and/or the Disability Resources for Students (DRS) office for your campus (Bothell DRS, Seattle DRS, Tacoma DRS). If you are an instructor, you have the responsibility and authority to make a variety of reasonable adjustments or modifications without requiring a student to work with Disability Resources for Students. If you are an employee seeking support or accommodations, you are encouraged to review the UW HR Pregnancy accommodation website and contact the Disability Services Office with questions.
To learn more about support, protections, and/or accommodations under Title IX and other federal and state laws visit the Pregnancy & related conditions page on the UW Office of the Title IX Coordinators website.