Law school reaches 'mutually agreeable solution' with student denied Title IX accommodation

(OSV News) -- Georgetown University's law school has reached what it called a "mutually agreeable solution" with a pregnant student on taking her final exams, after classmates claimed she had been denied her request for accommodations as her due date approaches.

"Georgetown is committed to providing a caring, supportive environment for pregnant and parenting students," a spokesperson for the law school told OSV News in a Nov. 22 email.

While noting that the school "does not publicly comment on the specifics of individual student matters," the spokesperson said, "we have reached a mutually agreeable solution with the student who raised concerns."

Earlier, an online petition had been launched on behalf of Brittany Lovely, listed in the petition as a second-year student at the school.

According to the petition -- organized by fellow Georgetown Law student Mari Latibashvili and circulating on social media as a Google form -- Lovely is "expected to give birth … within the first two weeks of December" and has "one in-person final (exam) scheduled for December 13."

Lovely had "requested to (1) take the exam early or (2) take the exam from home (and on Exam 4) at the same time as everybody else on the exam date or deferral dates (which are December 16-18, 2024)," said the petition.

However, the school "denied Brittany's request for reasonable accommodations," saying they "would be inequitable to other non-birthing students in her class," according to the petition.

Instead, "Georgetown Law suggested Brittany bring her days-old child to campus a few days after birth, with minimal recovery, to take the exam with more time so she can breastfeed her newborn baby during the exam," said the petition. "They told her, 'Motherhood is not for the Faint of Heart.'"

The petition said the alleged denial of Lovely's request is "in violation of Title IX," the U.S. law enacted in 1972 that specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex by any education program or activity receiving federal aid.

"Georgetown offers academic and practical resources to assist in the completion of a student's degree while they are pregnant or parenting including pregnancy related adjustments from the Office of Title IX Compliance, and disability accommodations from our Academic Resource Center," the law school spokesperson told OSV News in the Nov. 22 email.

The university has a specific webpage dedicated to Title IX "Pregnancy Adjustments and Accommodations for Students," stating on the site that it is "committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for pregnant and parenting students."

According to the university webpage, students seeking a "pregnancy adjustment" must complete a request form, "noting the requested reasonable adjustment."

Among the examples of adjustments named by the university on its website are "a larger desk;
breaks during class, as needed; permitting temporary access to elevators; rescheduling tests or exams; excusing absences due to pregnancy or related conditions; submitting work after a deadline missed due to pregnancy or childbirth; providing alternatives to make up missed work; allowing excused absences for parenting students (both mothers and fathers) who need to take their children to doctors' appointments or to take care of their sick children."

The webpage states that "specific adjustments will be handled on a case by case basis and will depend on medical need and academic requirements."

The site also lists several university staff who serve as point persons for Title IX pregnancy accommodation requests, with law students directed to contact Lisa Curtis, director for academic success.

OSV News has also reached out to Lovely and Latibashvili for comment on the matter, but has not as yet received a response.