Education for Pregnant and Parenting Students
Before Title IX
What a waste of potential! If a teenager became pregnant, she usually lost her chance to get an education. Most schools expelled pregnant students and wouldn't let them return to school if they chose to continue the pregnancy.
Since Title IX
Title IX protects pregnant teenagers, their children, and their futures. Under Title IX, schools are not allowed to treat pregnant or parenting students like second-class citizens. The law recognizes how important it is for all young people to have access to education, not just for their future economic independence and self-sufficiency, but also for the health and development of their children.
Schools can have separate programs for pregnant students, but enrollment in these programs must be voluntary, and they must be of comparable quality to the other programs the school offers.
Why Title IX Is Still Critical
Girls are dropping out of high school at alarming rates, and one-quarter to one-third of female dropouts say that pregnancy or becoming a parent played a role in their decision to leave school. Schools can make a big difference in these girls’ lives by helping them continue their education, and some have made small strides toward ending discrimination against pregnant and parenting students and offering additional support to this population. But others are still blatantly discriminating against this population, by, for example, providing at-home tutoring for students who miss school because they are temporarily disabled but not for pregnancy.
Take Action
Support
the Pregnant and Parenting Students Access to Education Act!
Ask the Secretary of Education to Keep Title IX Strong for Pregnant &
Parenting Students.
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