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By Kimberly Beltran
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
In a nod to the recent 40th anniversary of Title IX, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has released updated guidance for districts and educators aimed at keeping pregnant or parenting students in school.
The landmark 1972 law, which prohibits gender discrimination in education programs and activities, also outlaws discrimination against pregnant and parenting students. The OCR’s guidance pamphlet, last updated in 1991, provides information on the law’s specific requirements regarding pregnancy and parenthood, and offers strategies and program ideas to address the educational needs of students who become pregnant or have children.
“The Office for Civil Rights is committed to working with schools to help them support pregnant and parenting students and ensure that these students are not discriminated against as they strive to stay in school,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Seth Galanter said in a statement. “By making sure that young parents can fully participate in school, we can encourage them to work toward graduation instead of dropping out of school.”
The updated guidance document supports President Barack Obama’s ambitious goal of having the United States lead the world in the number of college graduates by 2020.
Because students who become pregnant while in school are much more likely to drop out, “it is imperative that we all work to