Title IX Protections and Accommodations for Pregnant and Parenting Students 

Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), 20 U.S.C. § 1681, is a Federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex – including sex and parental status – in educational programs and activities. Title IX specifically prohibits discrimination against a student based on pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from any of these conditions.[1]  The Title IX regulation also prohibits a school from applying any rule related to a student's parental, family, or marital status that treats students differently based on their sex.[2] 

[1] 34 C.F.R.§ 106.40(b)(1). References to pregnancy include all of the related conditions covered by the regulation. 

[2] Ibid., § 106.40(a) 

Minnesota State University, Mankato will excuse a student's absence because of pregnancy or childbirth under Title IX as long as the student's doctor deems the absence medically necessary. When the student returns to school they will be allowed to return to the same academic and extracurricular status before the absence began.[1] It is the responsibility of all Minnesota State University, Mankato community members to comply with the laws and regulations of Title IX.  “By ensuring that the student has the opportunity to maintain her academic status, we can encourage young parents to work toward graduation instead of choosing to drop out of school.”[2] 

[1] Ibid., § 106.40(b)(5) 

[2] Supporting the Academic Success of Pregnant and Parenting Students by the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, June 2013.