Policies & Procedures

Administrative Procedure: 7105

LACTATION ROOM ACCOMMODATIONS FOR EMPLOYEES AND STUDENTS

The College supports lactating parents who need to express milk during the work/school day. Additionally, it is the policy of the College to prohibit discrimination and harassment of lactating parents who exercise their rights under policy and, state and federal law. Under NJ Law Against Discrimination (LAD), lactation-related conditions need not meet a severity threshold; rather, they may be modest, minor, or episodic impediments or needs.

The Lactation Room is a private space available to those who need it during normal College operating hours.

For Employees and Students

• Lactation Room users should always knock before entering the room and turn the lock during use. Users should limit sessions to thirty minutes, if there is another individual waiting to use the room.

• Lactation Room users agree to use the room for lactation purposes only. No other acquaintances or individuals are permitted in the room. Violation of this rule will result in revoked access.

• Users must provide their own supplies. Expressed milk storage is the responsibility of the user. A refrigerator is not available in the Lactation Room.

• Users are expected to take all belongings with them when they have completed their session and to leave the area clean. Any personal items left in the room will be turned over to Security.

• The College is not responsible for any losses, injuries, or other damages resulting from the use of the Lactation Room.

For Employees

• Employees who are lactating parents will be entitled to reasonable break periods during normal business hours to express milk.

• A request for an accommodation under this administrative procedure will be treated as a request for a flexible work schedule. An employee will be entitled either to request reasonable unpaid break time or to use paid break or mealtimes for this purpose. Leave time granted may be made up at the beginning or end of the day on which leave is taken.

The New Jersey Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) added to the NJ Law Against Discrimination (LAD) the following protections for employees who are pregnant or lactating:

• An employer must provide a reasonable accommodation to an employee unless doing so would constitute an undue hardship to the employer’s organization;
• An employer is prohibited from penalizing an employee who is pregnant or lactating in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment for requesting or using an accommodation; and
• An employer is prohibited from engaging in unequal or unfavorable treatment of an employee who is pregnant or lactating. [N.J.S.A. § 10:5-12 (s)]

Cumberland Campus

Two rooms are available for use on the Cumberland campus:

• Catherine J. Arpino Education & Humanities Center (EHC), across from A26
• Arts & Innovation Center (AIC) – Faculty Lounge

Please report any problems with the Lactation Room immediately to:

• Catherine J. Arpino Education & Humanities Center
  • Security at 200-4777 or on campus call 4777;
  • Center for Wellness & Support, 856-200-4690, [email protected];
  • Nathaniel Alridge, Jr., JD, Executive Director Threat Assessment Management, Title IX, Compliance, and Judicial Affairs, 856-200-4712, [email protected];
  • Jennifer Polof, Director, Human Resources & Training, 856-415-2271, ; or
  • Lauren Vilimas, Director, Pension and Benefits, 856-200-4564,
• Arts & Innovation Center, Jacqueline Greenwell, Director Arts & Innovation, Clay College, 856-776-2381, [email protected]

Gloucester Campus

One room is available for use on the Gloucester campus:

• Education and Humanities Center (EHC), Room 400C1.

Please report any problems with the Lactation Room immediately to:

• Center for Wellness & Support, 856-464-5236, ;
• Almarie Jones, Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, 856-415-2154, ; or
• Tawanda Swann, Human Resources, Generalist, 856-464-5221,

Any use of the Lactation Room in conflict with College policy and this administrative procedure will result in access being revoked.

Resources

To learn more about the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA), please visit https://www.njoag.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/fact-FLA.pdf  and https://www.njoag.gov/about/divisions-and-offices/division-on-civil-rights-home/know-the-law/ . The NJFLA is enforced by the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights (DCR).

To file an NJLAD or NJFLA complaint with DCR, please visit the NJ Bias Investigation Access System at  https://bias.njcivilrights.gov/en-US/ (njcivilrights.gov).

To learn more about New Jersey Temporary Disability (TDI) and Family Leave Insurance (FLI), please visit Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance | Information for Employers (https://nj.gov/labor/myleavebenefits/employer/). TDI and FLI are administered by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

To learn more about the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), please visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla . The FMLA is enforced by the United States Department of Labor.

To learn more about the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-aboutpregnant-workers-fairness-act  and https://www.eeoc.gov/publications/ada-your-employment-rights-individual-disability   The federal PWFA and ADA are enforced by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). To learn more about the federal Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP Act), please visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pump-at-work . The federal PUMP Act is enforced by the United States Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

 

References:

Rowan College of South Jersey Board of Trustees Policy Manual, 7019 Pregnant and Parenting Students and Employees, 7105 Lactation Room Accommodations for Employees and Students, and 8603 Emergent Medical and Mental Health Temporary Accommodations

Rowan College of South Jersey Administrative Procedure, 7019 Pregnant and Parenting Students and Employees, and 8603 Emergent Medical and Mental Health Temporary Accommodations