The D.C. Council is considering a bill that would allow expecting and new parents in public schools to continue their education at home or in the hospital.

At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson, who introduced the bill, says it would make education more accessible and improve lifelong outcomes for young parents. If the bill becomes law, it would set a District-wide standard for accommodations that currently vary by school.

“Whether or not a student who is pregnant gets to continue their education shouldn’t be based on the feelings or the empathy of a school leader,” she says.

The bill is an amendment to the Students’ Right to Home or Hospital Instruction Act of 2020. That law, which went into effect in the 2022-2023 school year, required every local education agency (LEA) to create an at-home or at-hospital instruction program for students with health conditions that required them to miss school for ten or more days.

Under the current law, a “health condition” is defined as a “physical or mental illness, injury, or impairment that prevents a student from participating in the day-to-day activities typically expected during school attendance.” Henderson’s bill would amend the definition of a “health condition” to explicitly include pre-birth complications, childbirth, and postpartum recovery.

Parents whom the bill would have impacted tell DCist/WAMU that it would have been helpful when they were in the D.C. school system. Tatiyana Bell says going back to school right after giving birth was difficult for her as a new mother.

“I missed out on a lot,” she says. “Every time I came back home, my daughter was growing and I was missing so many milestones with her.”

It was difficult for her as a student, too. “I was kind of sad and depressed because I’m just waiting for the time to hurry up and school to be over for me to get back home to her,” she says.

Bell says parents are much more likely to give up on continuing their education when schools aren’t flexible. Only about 50% of teenage women in the U.S. receive a high school diploma by the age of 22 if they get pregnant, according to the CDC — compared to 90% of adolescent women overall.

Unlike Bell, NaZyia Lashley had her child during the COVID-19 pandemic. That made her experience easier because she was able to stay at home.

Her grades were good and her teachers were understanding. Her school offered her time off, but she didn’t want to fall behind. Instead, she attended class virtually, sometimes while nursing her child.

Lashley’s now in college. She says she had “no bad experiences” adjusting to parenthood but that it can be harder for the parents whose teachers or schools aren’t as accommodating.

“Have empathy,” she says. “Understand that they’re a teen parent and they’re trying to adjust to having a child and stay in school at the same time.”

Lashley thinks Henderson’s bill would be helpful, though she wishes schools could provide remote instruction for longer. In the 2020 act, students are guaranteed instruction at home or hospital for the duration of their health condition or 60 days, whichever is shorter. Depending on their condition, they may get an extension. The postpartum “recovery” period is about six to eight weeks, according to the American Pregnancy Association – but for some, recovery can take many months.

Both Lashley and Bell are in the D.C. Network for Expectant and Parenting Teens (DC NEXT!), which advocates for the needs of young parents in the District and is part of the nonprofit DC Action. They’re part of the network’s “Context team,” a group of young parents whose lived experience informs DC NEXT!’s work.

Rachel White, senior youth policy analyst at DC Action, says the bill would mitigate barriers to education, a factor “for so many other things such as higher income, employment, access to college.”

“It will definitely improve outcomes for youth who are pregnant in the future,” she says.

A 2023 survey by DC NEXT! showed that young parents were 53% less likely to be “thriving” (on a scale of thriving, struggling, and suffering) if they had to leave school early, compared to young parents who never had to stop their education.

Patricia Quinn, former director of DC NEXT! and vice president of policy and partnerships at the DC Primary Care Association, says that data shows that keeping young parents in school should be a priority.

“There’s nothing inevitable about bad outcomes for young families,” Quinn says. “We have a real vested interest in keeping young people who are expecting or parenting in school. Making sure they never leave.”

Supporting young parents, she says, would mean shifting away from a culture of stigma toward one that actively works for their success. There are still many other barriers to education for young parents, like the expense of childcare and food and housing insecurity.

Going forward, Bell says she would like to see more school flexibility for parents who aren’t pregnant or giving birth. A mother who is recovering from a difficult birth, for example, would be able to manage better if the father was around more to help. Henderson’s bill, as currently written, does not apply to those parents because they don’t have the health conditions that would qualify them for at-home or hospital instruction.

The bill is set for a final reading and council vote in March. It’s likely to pass – it passed unanimously after a first reading earlier this month. After that, it must pass the mayor’s desk and congressional review to become law.

“I wish we didn’t have to introduce legislation to get this done,” Henderson says. “It seems so common sense.”