Pregnant and Parenting Students

Requests should be directed to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance at OCRC@pace.edu. This office will meet with you to discuss your needs and may ask for documentation that supports the request. If your pregnancy involves health or medical complications, you may contact Student Accessibility Services at the following contact:

Student Accessibility Services (New York City)
161 William Street, 7th Floor
Phone: (212) 346-1199

Student Accessibility Services (Westchester)
Administration Center
861 Bedford Road, Pleasantville
Phone: (914) 773-3201

Requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may include the following:

Adjustments

• Furniture size, shape, and position (i.e. a larger desk)
• Breaks in class for food or hydration
• Opportunity to reschedule tests
• Excused absences for specific treatments and care, and for parenting and medical care for infant or child
• Ability to turn in late submissions
• Make up work that is similar in nature
• Temporary access to elevators

Absences

Absences related to pregnancy and childbirth must be excused as long as your doctor deems the absence medically necessary (i.e., for doctor’s appointments, bed rest, recovery, etc.).

Yes, Pace University supports nursing parents who return to school/work and continue to breastfeed their child by maintaining a private space where lactating parents can nurse their child or express milk. Any Pace-affiliated nursing parent, including faculty, staff, and students, who are breastfeeding can request to use these lactation rooms.

There are lactation rooms on all three Pace University campuses:

To receive access to the lactation room for the NYC campus, please email Elliot Rodriguez, Director of Campus Safety and Security at erodriguez5@pace.edu to receive card access to the lactation room. Include in your email your full name, UID number, and the specific timeframe needed for access.

To receive access for the Pleasantville campus, please call the Safety and Security office at (914) 773-3700 to request the key to the lactation room.

To receive access to the lactation room for the Haub Law campus, the room is in Aloysia Hall, Room 109C. There is a sign outside the door that indicates whether the room is available or in use, and the room can be locked from the inside.

Any concerns with access, please reach out to the Safety and Security Office:

• Pleasantville: (914) 773-3400
• NYC: (212) 346-1800
• Haub Law: (914) 422-4111

Yes. Under Title IX, students who take medically necessary leave due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions have the right to return to their academic program without penalty.

This means:

• You must be allowed to resume your studies at the same academic status you held before your leave.
• You cannot be penalized for pregnancy-related absences that are medically necessary.
• You must be given a reasonable opportunity to make up missed work, including exams, assignments, and participation points.
• Faculty and staff must treat pregnancy-related leave equally to other temporary medical conditions, ensuring fairness and consistency.

However, depending on the structure of your academic program, returning without penalty may not always mean an immediate return. For example, if your program offers required courses or clinical placements only once per academic year, and no comparable alternative is available, you may need to wait until the next offering. In such cases, the university must still ensure that your academic standing and progress are preserved, and that you are not penalized for the delay.

If you experience any difficulty returning to class or accessing make-up opportunities, you are encouraged to contact the Title IX Office for support and resolution.

Ask the University for help—meet with the Title IX Coordinator regarding what the University can do to support you in continuing your education.

Keep notes about your pregnancy-related absences, any instances of harassment, and immediately report problems to the Title IX Coordinator.

If you feel you have been discriminated against because you are pregnant or parenting, you may file a complaint using the University's Title IX process.

Particular actions that could constitute prohibited harassment include making sexual jokes about a student's pregnancy, calling a pregnant student sexually charged names, spreading rumors about her sexual activity, and making sexual propositions or gestures. The University will take prompt and appropriate steps reasonably calculated to end pregnancy-related harassment, prevent its recurrence, and eliminate any hostile environment created by the harassment,

Inform the student that they can reach out to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance at OCRC@pace.edu if they want to discuss adjustments/accommodations.

It is the student’s responsibility to disclose their pregnancy and/or request pregnancy/pregnancy-related accommodations. However, you should include information about pregnant students’ Title IX rights in your syllabus. You can also contact the Title IX Coordinator with any questions.

It can vary student to student but may include allowing frequent bathroom breaks, a larger desk, rescheduling exams or assignments, allowing time for access to lactation rooms, and excusing pregnancy-related absences. The length of time needed for medically required absences can vary depending on the student's situation, and these requests should be directed to the Title IX Coordinator.

You can contact the Title IX Coordinator if you think the student is requesting something unreasonable or does not want to complete the alternatives agreed upon.

You should contact Bernard Dufresne, the Assistant Vice President of the Office of Civil Rights Compliance/Title IX Compliance and Title IX Coordinator at bdufresne@pace.edu.

If you are having an outside event or program and need access to the Lactation room, please contact the Safety and Security Office and ask to speak with the Director or one of the coordinators for help in gaining access to this room.

• Pleasantville: (914) 773-3700
• NYC: (212) 346-1800
• Haub Law: (914) 422-4111