Pregnant and Parenting Students FAQs

There are two offices at PCC that can help you, depending on your circumstances:

• Title IX Office – The Title IX office is here to answer any questions you have about your rights as a pregnant student. They can also contact your instructor for you if they aren’t aware of PCC’s federal obligations to pregnant students. Your Title IX contacts are Staci Shea at sshea1@pima.edu or Diane Deskin at sddeskin@pima.edu. Visit PCC’s Title IX page for more information.
• Access and Disability Resources (ADR) – If you have pregnancy-related complications that lead to a need for considerations of short or long-term disability status, , contact ADR at adrhelp@pima.edu, or 520-260-6688. An ADR specialist can review your documentation and if you qualify for accommodations under ADA or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, provide you with reasonable accommodations to mitigate the academic barriers you may encounter due to your disability status. Visit PCC's ADR page for more information on accommodations. 

If you deliver during the semester, you remain covered under Title IX and are guaranteed protections that will allow you to make up any missed course assignments. Depending on the point in the semester that you deliver, you may need to take an “Incomplete” in the class. However, you will still be allowed to complete the class.

Yes. No one at PCC can tell you that you have to drop a class or stop participating in a College-sponsored activity due to your pregnancy.

Yes. You are not prohibited from taking any classes at PCC due to pregnancy. It is highly recommended that you consult with your medical provider if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant and are taking a class with this kind of component.

No, your instructor is required to excuse you from class if you have a pregnancy-related appointment.

First, know that it’s possible that your instructor just doesn’t know the federal requirements under Title IX and that PCC’s Title IX office will help you resolve this. Please just contact the Title IX office and we will communicate with your instructor.

Please contact Access and Disability Resources (ADR) to discuss your situation, and to determine if you qualify for reasonable accommodations under ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. You may be referred to Title IX, depending on your situation.

Yes. You do not need to disclose this information to your instructor if you are not comfortable. You can request excused absences/extra time for assignments directly from your instructor due to a medical issue. If your instructor says they cannot accommodate, please contact the Title IX office.

Depending on the amount of time you need, Title IX will assist you OR will reach out to ADR to assist you. ADR will determine if you qualify for short or long-term disability status under ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If qualified, ADR will provide you with reasonable accommodations that your instructor must follow.

You have several options:

• Contact the Title IX office – Occasionally a member of the PCC community may not understand what the College’s obligations are to you under Title IX. The Title IX office can communicate with that person.
• Make a formal complaint to the Office of Dispute Resources (ODR) – If you feel you have been discriminated against or harassed based on your pregnancy/parenting status, please know that you have the right to file a formal complaint with PCC’s Office of Dispute Resources (ODR). You can do this by emailing dispute-resources@pima.edu or by using the online complaint form.

There are situations you can manage with pregnant students, and situations where you would want to refer the student to the Title IX office to help with decision-making:

Title IX rights afforded to pregnant students that the faculty and the student can manage together:

• Pregnant students have the right to excused absences from class (cannot be marked absent) due to a pregnancy-related medical appointment. 
• Pregnant students have the right to make up class work missed if the student misses class due to a pregnancy-related medical appointment.

Title IX rights afforded to pregnant students that should be referred to the Title IX office for guidance:

• Pregnant students have the right to a reasonable amount of time off (and the ability to make up class work) after delivery and recovery.
• If they need extended time off due to pregnancy/delivery, pregnant students have the right to return to the same academic/extracurricular status as before.

Breastfeeding students - There is a lactation room located on each PCC campus for nursing parents to use for pumping. Please direct students to the offices of the campus Vice Presidents for lactation room access (if your location doesn’t have a CVP, your front desk staff are able to open the rooms). Students are encouraged to pump between classes, however they may not have time. If a student has a tight schedule and needs to arrive late to/leave early from class to pump, please allow them to do so.

Students who have an abortion or a miscarriage are entitled to the same rights as other pregnant students. If you run into a situation you’re not sure how to handle, please direct students to the Title IX office.

Generally, no. Title IX requirements are different from ADA requirements. If a pregnant student has complications and requires more flexibility than Title IX legally requires, that student will be referred to ADR to discuss accommodations.

Here are the main things for you to know:

• Title IX is a federal law. We are legally required to comply. Please see this link on the Department of Education’s website for more information.
• Experiences vary from person to person. Regarding pregnant students, some situations will be more simple (i.e. a student has an uncomplicated pregnancy and gives birth between semesters, might have to miss a class or two for a pregnancy-related appointment) and others will be more complicated (i.e. a student who gives birth in the middle of a semester). Remember that you as faculty can manage the simple situations with the student, but that the Title IX office should be contacted for situations that may require leave after delivery or time off from the class or program. The Title IX office, rather than faculty, will help the student determine next steps if they need time off.
• Based on a student’s situation, there are a variety of potential outcomes. Sometimes, the best option will be for the student to drop/withdraw. However, the Title IX office will help the student make that determination. Never tell or suggest to a pregnant student or a student with a pregnancy-related issue that they should drop or withdraw from your class.
• If you think a student in your class is pregnant, please do not approach them about their potential pregnancy. If they have questions you can answer (i.e. need to miss a class for a pregnancy-related doctor’s appointment), please do so. If they want resources, more information, or have a more complicated situation or question you can’t answer, please refer them to the Title IX office.

Questions? Please contact:

Staci Shea (sshea1, x7028) - Assistant Program Manager for Title IX and Student Conduct

Diane Deskin (sddeskin, x7120) - Advanced Program Manager for Title IX and Student Conduct

It is the responsibility of all of us at PCC to work with students who are pregnant, parenting, and/or have pregnancy-related conditions. Please remember that disruption to your class or academic program will be minimal to none. You may never have a student in your class who needs to exercise these rights under Title IX. This information is meant to prepare you in the event you do have a student in your class who wants to exercise their pregnancy or parenting rights under Title IX. 

• Desert Vista - F-256
• District - D-227
• Downtown - C-114
• East - L-109
• M&S - MS-124
• NW - C-335
• West - AG-35
• 29th St - 206

Students or official Visitors

• Desert Vista - Campus Vice President’s Office in Pueblo A-133
• District - Human Resources (D-102)
• Downtown - Campus Vice President’s Office in RV-140
• East - Campus Vice President’s Office in L-239
• M&S - See front desk
• NW - Campus Vice President’s Office in A-111
• West- Campus Vice President’s Office in A-201
• 29th St - See front desk
• El Pueblo Adult Learning Center - See front desk
• El Rio Adult Learning Center - See front desk

Employees

• Contact Facilities (520-206-2733) and they will add access to the room to your PCC ID card.

If you are a student, please contact the office/employee who gave you access to the lactation room. If you are an employee, please contact Facilities at 520-206-2733.

You should be able to get a breast pump for free through your health insurance or medicaid provider. Please contact your provider.

If you are comfortable doing so, please speak with your instructor. Let them know you may be late and why. If you are not comfortable doing this, please let the Title IX office know and we will reach out to your instructor:

• Staci Shea sshea1@pima.edu or 520-206-7028
• Diane Deskin ssdeskin@pima.edu or 520-206-7120

• Students or Visitors - Please contact the office who gave you access to the lactation room.
• Employees - Please contact Facilities, HR, or your supervisor (depending on the issue).

Contact the Title IX office at:

• Staci Shea sshea1@pima.edu or 520-206-7028
• Diane Deskin ssdeskin@pima.edu or 520-206-7120