Information for Students

You can continue participating in classes and extracurricular activities even though you are pregnant.

Centralia College will provide reasonable and appropriate adjustments and flexibility, upon request, to students based on their pregnancy or postpartum circumstances. Such circumstances may include pregnancy, complications arising from pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, false pregnancy, miscarriage, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from any of these circumstances.

Please note that pregnancy alone is not considered a disability under ADA federal law. However, pregnancy related absences deemed medically necessary by a medical provider and/or leave from school due to child birth/recovery are covered under Title IX. For assistance regarding Title IX Pregnancy, students can contact Disability Services (DS) at 360-623-8966. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the Disability Services office and submit the required medical documentation.   

In accordance with Title IX federal pregnancy laws, students wanting their pregnancy related absences, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, medical conditions related to pregnancy, and/or maternity leave excused are required to submit medical documentation to the DS office. The DS office will not contact the student’s instructors to notify them of the student’s permitted/excused absences until DS has received medical documentation from the student.  Medical documentation must be on an official letterhead with the signature and credentials of the medical provider.

• Medical documentation must clearly state dates of pregnancy-related absence(s) and dates deemed medically necessary for recovery per the student's medical provider.
• Medical documentation must also state when the student may return back to school after pregnancy-related absence(s) per the student's medical provider.
• Medical documentation must be provided to the DS office as soon as possible and prior to the end of the quarter/term.

Medical documentation may be dropped off in the DS office (TAC Building, Room 208), emailed to disability@centralia.edu or faxed to the Director of the Disability Services at 360-623-8752.

Students are responsible for directly contacting their course instructors to discuss all make up assignments and tests after they have returned to school from pregnancy and/or maternity leave. If a student believes her Title IX pregnancy rights have been violated, she may file a written complaint to the Vice President of Student Services for investigation. Complaints should be filed within 10 days of the perceived violation.

Pregnant students are entitled to the following rights per Title IX:

• Allow you to continue participating in classes and extracurricular activities even though you are pregnant. This means that you can still participate in advanced placement and honors classes, school clubs, sports, honor societies, student leadership opportunities, and other activities, like after-school programs operated at the school.
• Allow you to choose whether you want to participate in special instructional programs or classes for pregnant students. You can participate if you want to, but your school cannot pressure you to do so. The alternative program must provide the same types of academic, extracurricular and enrichment opportunities as your school’s regular program.
• Allow you to participate in classes and extracurricular activities even though you are pregnant and not require you to submit a doctor’s note unless your school requires a doctor’s note from all students who have a physical or emotional condition requiring treatment by a doctor. Your school also must not require a doctor’s note from you after you have been hospitalized for childbirth unless it requires a doctor’s note from all students who have been hospitalized for other conditions.
• Provide you with reasonable adjustments, like allowing you to make frequent trips to the restroom, when necessary because of your pregnancy - student is responsible for requesting pregnancy-related accommodations through the school's disability office if accommodations are needed and will be required to submit medical documentation from a medical provider stating these pregnancy-related accommodations are needed - documentation must be on an official letterhead with the medical provider's signature and credentials. 

Excused Absences and Medical Leave – your school MUST:

• Excuse a prenancy-related absence(s) for as long as your doctor says it is necessary.
• Allow you to return to the same academic and extracurricular status as before your prenancy-related absence(s) began, which should include giving you the opportunity to make up any work missed while you were out.
• Allow you to submit work after a deadline you missed because of prenancy-related absence(s). If your teacher’s grading is based in part on class participation or attendance and you missed class because of prenancy-related absence(s), you should be allowed to make up the participation or attendance credits you didn’t have the chance to earn. The teacher may offer you alternatives to making up missed work, such as retaking a quarter or allowing you additional time in a program to continue at the same pace and finish at a later date, especially after longer periods of leave. You should be allowed to choose how to make up the work. You cannot be required to turn in work while on prenancy-related absence(s) until the doctor releases you. The missed work will have to be made up after your doctor authorizes your return to school.

What types of accommodations may I request?

• Specific accommodations will be handled on a case by case basis and will depend on medical need and academic requirements. Some examples include:
• A larger desk
• Breaks during class, as needed
• Permitting temporary access to elevators
• Rescheduling tests or exams
• Excusing absences due to pregnancy or related conditions
• Submitting work after a deadline missed due to pregnancy or childbirth
• Providing alternatives to make up missed work
• Allowing excused absences for parenting students (both mothers and fathers) who need to take their children to doctors’ appointments or to take care of their sick children
• Allowing you to return to the same academic or extracurricular status as before your medical leave began

Is there a space for students to breastfeed and/or pump breastmilk?

Centralia College has a dedicated space for students and employees to breastfeed and/or pump breastmilk. See Centralia College Lactation Room for details. Please contact Thalia Vaillancourt at 360-623-8630.

Pregnant and parenting employees seeking accommodations or a leave of absence should contact Human Resources at 360-623-8943. Leave of absences and some accommodations require medical documentation or other verifying documentation.

• Leave of absence (consecutive, intermittent, or combination of consecutive and intermittent)
• Job restructuring including but not limited to: modifying a work schedule, job reassignment, changes to a workstation, equipment, telework
• Frequent, longer, or flexible breaks
• Scheduling flexibility