Pregnant and Postpartum Students and Students Who are Parents of Newborns
Compliance with New Jersey Law
This policy addresses the requirements of NJSA 18A:3B-74 et seq. to provide certain accommodations for students who are pregnant, or post-partum, or parents of a newborn(s) ensuring equal rights and opportunities for such students.
Accommodations
The reasonable accommodations provided to pregnant, or post-partum students, or students who are parents of a newborn shall be no less than those provided to students with temporary medical conditions. Students needing assistance may request temporary accommodations and are required to follow Thomas Edison State University’s procedures for review and approval for accommodations through the University’s Student Accessibility Services webpage.
A pregnant or postpartum student in good standing is permitted to select either of the two following options:
- Option 1 – Withdraw from her course(s) AND, when possible, have the cost of the courses credited to the student’s account to use in a future term(s). It is crucial that students refer to the University’s Course Withdrawals and Refunds webpage to ensure they understand implications for withdrawing.
- Option 2 – Request and be approved for up to two course extensions at no cost using the ADA Course Extension Request online form. (Students opting for this accommodation will not be excused from completing Discussion Forums in online courses during the original term.)
A student in good standing who is not the birth parent, but has received notification of the birth or placement of their child, is permitted to request and be approved for up to two course extensions at no cost using the ADA Course Extension Request online form. (Students opting for this accommodation will not be excused from completing Discussion Forums in online courses during the original term.)
Communication and Documentation
All requested accommodations must be done under the guidance of the University’s Office of Student Accessibility Services and in accordance with the University’s ADA approval procedure, which can be found on the University’s Student Accessibility Services webpage. Students requesting accommodations are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services and provide required documentation (Disclosure of Pregnancy/Post-Partum/Parenting of a Newborn and Verification of Pregnancy/Post-Partum/Parenting of a Newborn as early as possible, so that necessary arrangements can take place. If the original documentation is incomplete or inadequate to provide verification of pregnancy, post-partum, or parenting of a newborn, the University’s Office of Student Accessibility Services has the discretion to require additional documentation.
Complaints
A discrimination complaint concerning pregnancy, or any complaint about the implementation of this policy, should be submitted to the Title IX coordinator for the University:
Heather Brooks
hbrooks@tesu.edu
609-984-1114, ext. 4140