Indiana University Bloomington Pregnancy and Parenting Portal
What is Title IX?
Title IX is a set of federally enforced protections against discrimination in academics on the basis of sex and gender. Regardless of one's sex or gender, an eduational program in the United States which receives any form of government funding may not exclude, deny benefits, or be subjected to discriminatory actions due to thir sex or gender. This legislation applies to any of the following who receive federal funds: k-12 schools, colleges, universities, libraries, museums, vocational programs, and prisons.
How does Title IX relate to pregnancy and parenting?
Title IX protects students both in and out of the classroom from discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, child birth, false pregnancy, abortion, or any related conditions including recovery. This legislation also grants a student the right to medically necessary leave and the right to be free from harrassment, intimidation, and other discriminatory acts regarding their status or condition as it relates to pregnancy and parenting.
What types of accomodations, protections, and services are academic programs required to provide students under Title IX?
Equal policy and enforcement thereof (e.g. Any academic policy related to parental, marital, or familial status cannot vary between different genders and sexes; in other words, a federally-funded university can't provide parental leave to women and not to men.)
Title IX protection in all program-sponsored aspects of the educational program (e.g. athletics, student organizations, internships, career counseling, financial aid and scholarships, lab and clinical work, etc.)
Excused absence for pregnancy, child birth, miscarriage, abortion, and the recovery from these experiences for as long as a doctor deems medically necessary and without penalty (NOTE: Medical necessity overrides a program's usual leave policy, so if a doctor deems it medically necessary for a student to be excused longer than what would normally be allowed, then the student has the right to be excused longer without penalty.)
Accomodations at least equivalent to those that would normally be granted to students with other temporary conditions (e.g. If your university offers take-home assignments and virtual instruction to students who are ill, then they are legally bound to also offer this same accomodation to students who miss class due to pregnancy and birth.)
A Title IX complaint process for reporting violations and full transparency about their process (NOTE: Full transparency includes having a designated Title IX representative, clear identification of who that representative is, how this person can be contacted, how to file a Title IX complaint, and the process for how complaints will be investigated and resolved.)
What if I think my rights or someone else's are being infringed upon at IUB?
Contact one or more of the following IUB-sponsored organizations immediately:
In conclusion, you are federally protected under Title IX and your program is legally bound to this legislation. When you experience or witness a possible violation, don't wait. Report it.
References
Title IX Basics, The Pregnant Scholar, https://thepregnantscholar.org/title-ix-basics/