Do you have questions about your right to breastfeed or pump milk on campus?
For an overview of how laws protect breastfeeding students at all grade levels, including junior high and high school, download Breastfeed LA org's resource sheet
Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 says schools that get federal funding cannot discriminate based on sex, which includes pregnancy and all related conditions. If your college has students that receive federal aid, it is bound by Title IX. Breastfeeding is a condition related to pregnancy, so schools must find ways to help students who need to breastfeed or pump on campus. For more information, visit the National Women’s Law Center.
California law also provides for accommodation for breastfeeding college students. According to Section 2, 66271.9 of the Education code, the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California are encouraged to provide reasonable accommodations on their respective campuses for a lactating student to express milk, breastfeed an infant child, or address other needs related to breastfeeding. Reasonable accommodations include, but are not limited to:
- Access to a private and secure room, other than a restroom, to express breast milk or breast-feed an infant child. The room shall have a comfortable place to sit and have a table or shelf to place equipment.
- Permission to bring onto a college or university campus a breast pump and any other equipment used to express breast milk.
- Access to a power source for a breast pump or any other equipment used to express breast milk.