Regarding Title IX and Pregnancy:  

Policy on Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Students

In keeping with Trinity’s mission as a university rooted in Catholic teachings on social justice, Trinity strives to provide an environment of welcome, support, and accommodation for students who are pregnant, parenting, or managing related health and personal conditions.

Trinity’s policy and practices on pregnancy and parenting are also in keeping with the expectations of federal law as expressed in Title IX and the 2024 Title IX Regulations of the U.S. Department of Education. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions and all related educational activities, and the prohibition includes discrimination against pregnant and parenting students. Title IX requires universities to make reasonable modifications for pregnant students or students experiencing issues related to pregnancy or parenting.

For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website regarding Title IX and Pregnancy.

Modifications for Pregnant or Parenting Students

Students who are pregnant or parenting may request specific modifications. Examples of such reasonable modifications include:

• Excused in-person absences for childbirth and recovery-related matters, as deemed medically necessary by their doctor;
• Additional, longer, or more flexible breaks during class to express breast milk, breastfeed, or attend to health needs associated with pregnancy or related conditions, including eating, drinking, or using the restroom;
• Access to a clean, comfortable and private lactation room;
  • Trinity offers 3 locations for lactation on campus:
    • The Family Library, located in the lower level of the Library, has a lactation room which is available to all mothers on campus for nursing and pumping. It has privacy, a glider and foot stool, and a mini refrigerator, as well as an attached bathroom.
    • Trinity’s Health and Wellness Center, Main Hall 461, can arrange for your private use of their meditation room to use as a lactation room if you have a need for a safe place to express or pump.
    • Payden Academic Center, 2nd Floor, offers limited use of its Clinical Suite of rooms on the 2nd Floor for lactation needs.
• A larger desk, or other changes to physical space or supplies;
• Intermittent absences to attend medical appointments;
• Access to online, remote, or homebound education;
• Changes in schedule or course sequence;
• Extensions of time for coursework and rescheduling of tests and examinations;
• Allowing a student to sit or stand, or carry or keep water nearby;
• Counseling;
• Elevator access.
• “Parenting students” in the context of these supports refers to parents of a child under one year of age. However, rights relating to the expression of breast milk shall continue until the parenting student ceases to express breast milk. Students who are parents of older children are still protected by Title IX regulations, in that they are protected from discrimination based on their parental status.

The list above provides examples of reasonable modifications, but every case is different, and students may request different modifications depending on their needs. Note that Title IX does not require modifications that would fundamentally change the nature of a student’s academic program.

How to Apply for Pregnancy or Parenting Modifications

Students who need modifications for pregnancy or parenting should contact Dr. Sarah Young, Trinity’s Title IX Coordinator. Dr. Young will provide a complete explanation of the student’s rights under Title IX and outline general modifications .

Dr. Young will communicate student-specific information and general modifications to faculty and staff who need to know (e.g., the professors in the student’s courses, student work supervisors).

Title IX-supported students are encouraged to work directly with their professors to develop a reasonable plan that supports their needs while allowing them to engage fully with their coursework.

• In cases where solutions are complex, particularly for external placements or courses with significant in-class activities, student and faculty should seek guidance from the Title IX Coordinator.
• Students enrolled in programs within the School of Nursing and Health Professions or School of Education may be expected to comply with different policies and procedures required at the facilities at which they participate in clinical rotations. Such students should direct their questions to the appropriate department Clinical Coordinator, in consultation with the Title IX Coordinator.

Title IX may coordinate with Disability Support Services (DSS) if complex symptoms resulting from pregnancy rise to the level of disability, in which temporary DSS accommodations, in addition to Title IX supports, may be assigned.

A form to request pregnancy/parenting modifications is available at: Title IX Pregnancy/Parenting Disclosure Form

Obligations of Faculty and Staff Under this Policy
A member of the faculty or staff who learns that a student is pregnant should:

• Ask the student if they have notified the Title IX Coordinator, and provide the contact information for the Title IX Coordinator if the student has not already made contact;

A member of the faculty or staff may not:

• Ask the student for documentation of their condition;
• Tell the student to take a leave of absence;
• Refuse to provide reasonable modifications as outlined by the Title IX Coordinator.

When should I disclose a pregnancy?

In order to receive the best support possible, students should disclose needs based on pregnancy as soon as possible. Upon disclosing this information, Title IX will review the student’s specific circumstances and work with the student and other staff/faculty to implement appropriate adjustments.

In most cases, the student may be asked for appropriate documentation in order to put reasonable accommodations in place.