Pregnant and Parenting Resources

PCC is committed to the health and wellness of you and your family. We recognize that a supportive atmosphere is essential for student parents to be successful. Access comprehensive resources and support at the Family Resource Center.

How Title IX Protects Pregnant & Parenting Students

Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex—including pregnancy and parental status—in educational programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the Department of Education. The term pregnancy is used to include childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from any of these conditions. 

With regards to supporting pregnant students, institutions are required under Title IX to:

  • Excuse a student’s absences because of pregnancy or childbirth for as long as deemed medically necessary.
  • Afford the same protections to pregnant students as students who have temporary medical conditions.
  • Make reasonable and responsive adjustments.
  • Allow a student to continue participating in classes and extracurricular activities.
  • Allow a student to return from their leave to the same academic status as before their leave.
  • Offer options for making up the work missed and allow the student to decide.
     

Common Accommodations:

  • Seating assignment near the door (easier to access bathroom)
  • Ability to sit rather than stand (especially in lab or similar environments)
  • Larger desk
  • Extended breaks or exam time (to allow for eating food to control nausea, to use the bathroom, etc.)
  • Assistance of note taker to assist with exams (pregnant women more likely to have carpo tunnel)
  • Distance learning or teleworking for students on bedrest
  • Revised schedules for meetings or group activities
  • Parking space closer to classes
  • Other options as needed, depending on individualized needs
     

Requesting & Receiving Services

Open communication between you, your instructors, and PCC staff is important so that appropriate adjustments and/or accommodations can be made throughout the pregnancy and during recovery.

  1. Communicate with your instructors about your pregnancy or related condition. The Title IX office can assist in facilitating communication and with assessing your current needs.
  2. Documentation from your physician with your due date and any limitations related to your condition must be provided to the Title IX and/or Disabled Students Programs & Services Office, and will be kept confidential. You may also be asked to provide a doctor’s release to resume classes.
  3. Identify needs and determine accommodations with Title IX and Disabled Students Programs & Services Office based on your specific situation. They can meet with you to determine whether additional accommodations are needed, including special seating arrangements, breaks, flexible attendance, and early access to and/or extension of assignment or exam dates, and more.

Lactation Rooms

PCC offers a number of different spaces on campus dedicated to support student and employee parents with their breast, chest, or body-feeding needs. 

An employee lactation room is available at the Colorado Campus, on the third floor of Building C Room 348. For access to the lactation room, please contact Brian Cummins, Director of Human Resources at bcummins@pasadena.edu  or (626) 585-7310.

Student lactation rooms are available at the Colorado Campus during regular business hours on the first floor of Building D inside Student Health Services. Students may call ahead or walk in to utilize the room – it is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Information

For more information, visit the following: