SUNY New Paltz strives to provide all necessary and appropriate measures for our students who are managing pregnancy and parental status. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) prohibits discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex (including pregnancy and parental status) in educational programs and activities, penalizing students because they need time off from school, or reasonable accommodations due to pregnancy, childbirth or caring for an infant.
The request to accommodate pregnancy or post-pregnancy status is coordinated through the Title IX Office (HAB 602). You can complete this form to submit a request for accommodations. Students can also seek support through the offices listed below but these offices will need to work with the Title IX Office to facilitate your accommodation plan.
- The Disability Resource Center HAB 203
- The Dean of Students HAB 703
- The Associate Dean of your College (see directory for your school)
We encourage submitting the request form well in advance of the birth of a child or as soon as a related condition, which may impact academic progress, is known. It is often easier to discuss your future needs as early as practicable. Have a plan, before you need a plan!
Process:
Once the form is submitted, the student will receive a confirmation that it has been successfully submitted and that Title IX will contact the student for follow-up. This begins the iterative process needed to understand whether, and to what extent, a reasonable accommodation is possible. The Title IX Coordinator will review options with the student, faculty and other partner offices who may be needed to inform and implement the accommodation.
We may require medical documentation to support the accommodation request and/or to help inform the accommodation options sought. Timely submission of this form and all supporting documents impacts what accommodations or adjustments may be possible.
Students should be advised that preferred accommodations may not be deemed reasonable. The university cannot make fundamental changes to a course of study, alter requirements for degree conferral set by NYS Department of Education, nor can we alter standards and requirements set by accrediting and licensing bodies.
The most common accommodations designed to support students are listed below but there may be additional options based on each individual’s circumstances.
Academic support
- Extended deadlines
- Flexible exam scheduling
- Excused/planned absences
- Grades of incomplete or holds (as appropriate to the program)
- Remote learning (if modality is available for that course)
- Alternate assignments
- Temporary parking in a closer location (must complete handicap parking process)
- Leave of absence
- Frequent breaks for:
- Fatigue
- Need for restroom
- Monitoring a related medical condition
- Nursing/expressing milk
Accommodations are not effective until the process, described above, is complete and you receive a communication stating that your request for an accommodation has been granted. Completing the above form and submitting the requisite information does not guarantee you specifically requested accommodation and does not immediately put an accommodation into place.
