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Committee reviews required lactation policy; staff told to identify suitable school spaces
Summary
The committee reviewed a new, required policy on lactation accommodations that specifies private, non-bathroom space, minimum break frequency and equipment needs; members asked principals to identify rooms and refrigerators where needed.
The Communications & Policy Committee reviewed a new required district policy to provide lactation accommodations for employees and students, focusing on practical details such as room requirements, scheduling and supplies.
Karen Fisher Anderson told the committee the policy pulls together federal and state requirements, referencing the federal "pump act," New Hampshire House Bill 358 and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. She said districts can use the phrasing "nursing mothers" or substitute the gender-neutral phrase "persons with lactation needs." Committee members favored the more inclusive wording.
On facilities, committee members agreed bathrooms are not suitable spaces for expressing milk. Fisher Anderson said suitable lactation spaces should be private, allow a lockable door, have an electrical outlet, seating and a surface for a breast pump, and be near water; refrigeration for milk storage was discussed as a routine accommodation at some schools. She also told the committee the draft calls for reasonable time to express milk during the school day, with a minimum of three opportunities and a norm of roughly 30 minutes within each three-hour span.
Board members asked whether the policy covers both staff and students; the committee directed staff to make language clear for both groups and to identify rooms in each building. The committee did not vote; it asked staff to return consolidated clean copies with harmonized terminology alongside the other pregnancy-related policies.
