Dive Summary:
- The City University of New York settled a pregnancy discrimination complaint filed by The National Women's Law Center on behalf of CUNY honors student Stephanie Stewart, who was told by a professor that she couldn't make up exams or assignments missed due to pregnancy-related absences.
- The complaint alleged a violation of Title IX, as the school's dean and other administrators chose to recommend that she drop the class instead of intervening on her behalf.
- CUNY agreed to adopt a new university-wide policy addressing pregnant and parenting students' Title IX rights, which it will also train faculty on, and will also reinstate Stewart's full-tuition scholarship and reimburse her expenses from having to take an extra course this semester.
From the article:
... “I’m thrilled that CUNY will institute a comprehensive policy that’s designed to protect the rights of pregnant and parenting students like me,” said Stephanie Stewart, the student at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and the subject of the complaint. “I hope that this positive example will inspire other colleges across the country to do the same. There are thousands of students as determined as I am to set a secure path and bright future for their children and themselves, and we all deserve that chance.” ...