I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2617 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to promote the 

education of pregnant and parenting students. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 21, 2011 

Mr. POLIS (for himself and Ms. CHU) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants 

to promote the education of pregnant and parenting students. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pregnant and Par5 enting Students Access to Education Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) There are approximately 750,000 teen preg9 nancies and 400,000 teen births annually in the 

10 United States. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (2) Although teen pregnancy rates in the 

2 United States have declined by about a third since 

3 the early 1990s, 3 in 10 girls in the U.S. will be4 come pregnant before age 20, which is the highest 

5 rate of teen pregnancy in the developed world. 

6 (3) The teen pregnancy and birth rates in the 

7 United States are higher than in any other Western 

8 industrialized country. 

9 (4) Fifty-two percent of Latina teens and 50 

10 percent of African-American teen girls will become 

11 pregnant at least once before they are 20 years old. 

12 Birth rates among Latina and African-American 

13 youth ages 15 through 17 are more than twice the 

14 birth rates of Caucasian youth in the same age 

15 range. 

16 (5) Many pregnant and parenting students face 

17 significant barriers in enrolling, attending, and suc18 ceeding in school, including— 

19 (A) discrimination in violation of title IX 

20 of the Education Amendments of 1972, includ21 ing stigmatization at school by administrators, 

22 teachers, and peer students; 

23 (B) a lack of consistent policies at the 

24 State, district, and school levels that allow for 

25 excused absences for prenatal and postnatal 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 2617 IH

1 health care appointments in order for teen par2 ents to successfully complete their education; 

3 (C) difficulty maintaining academic 

4 progress while out of school leading up to or 

5 following the birth of a child; 

6 (D) juggling school work with parenting 

7 responsibilities; 

8 (E) lack of access to affordable quality 

9 child care and transportation to and from the 

10 child care arrangement and school, which can, 

11 as a practical matter, make it virtually impos12 sible for a parenting student to attend school 

13 regularly; and 

14 (F) stereotypes that future opportunities 

15 for postsecondary education or careers are lim16 ited for pregnant and parenting students, which 

17 can diminish students’ motivation to stay en18 gaged in school. 

19 (6) Only about half of teen mothers earned a 

20 high school diploma by age 22 compared to 89 per21 cent of women who didn’t have a teen birth. 

22 (7) Only 2 percent of all teenagers who have a 

23 baby before age 18 complete college by age 30. 

24 (8) Studies of females and males who dropped 

25 out of high school indicate that becoming a parent 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 2617 IH

1 played a role in their discontinuation of school, and 

2 in many cases it played a major role. For example, 

3 nearly half of all female dropouts and one-third of 

4 male dropouts said that becoming a parent played a 

5 role in their decision to leave school. 

6 (9) Teen pregnancy prevention should address 

7 subsequent pregnancies, which substantially increase 

8 dropout risks for teen mothers and accounted for 

9 85,000, or almost 20 percent, of all teen preg10 nancies. 

11 (10) Because teen pregnancy and parenting are 

12 significant risk factors for dropout, teen pregnancy 

13 prevention can go a long way toward improving high 

14 school graduation rates. 

15 (11) Females who do not earn a high school di16 ploma are especially likely to face severe economic 

17 consequences—to be unemployed, to earn very low 

18 wages, and to have to rely on public support pro19 grams—that significantly affect not only individual 

20 students and their families, but also our national 

21 economy as a whole. 

22 (12) Teen childbearing in the United States 

23 cost taxpayers (Federal, State and local) at least 

24 $10.9 billion in 2008. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (13) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 

2 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) prohibits educational 

3 institutions that receive Federal funding from dis4 criminating against pregnant and parenting stu5 dents, and its implementing regulations detail 

6 schools’ obligations to ensure that pregnant and par7 enting students have access to equal educational op8 portunities. 

9 (14) Some States currently collect data about 

10 the pregnancy and parenting status of secondary 

11 school students, but most do not, and there is no na12 tionwide data collection on this important dimension 

13 of the student population. 

14 (15) Some local educational agencies are mak15 ing active efforts to engage and re-engage pregnant 

16 and parenting youth in secondary education by im17 plementing voluntary programs that provide or ar18 range academic and support services for them, in19 cluding individualized graduation plans, flexible 

20 scheduling, homebound instruction for extended ab21 sences, school-based child care, transportation assist22 ance, health and social service referrals, and parent 

23 education courses. 

24 (16) The responsibilities of pregnancy and par25 enting can also interfere with the attainment of a 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 2617 IH

1 college degree. Sixty-one percent of women who have 

2 children after enrolling in community college do not 

3 graduate. Women who do not have children after en4 rollment graduate at a 65 percent higher rate than 

5 women who do. 

6 (17) Federal financial assistance to local edu7 cational agencies to start or expand voluntary stu8 dent academic and support service programs and ini9 tiatives for pregnant and parenting students is im10 perative to helping these students prepare for ca11 reers and post-secondary education opportunities, 

12 and care for their children without need for long13 term public assistance. 

14 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

15 (1) to ensure that each pregnant and parenting 

16 student has equal access to the same free, appro17 priate, high-quality public education that is provided 

18 to other students; 

19 (2) to improve high school graduation rates, ca20 reer-readiness, access to postsecondary educational 

21 opportunities, and outcomes for pregnant and par22 enting students and their children; and 

23 (3) to assist each State and local educational 

24 agency in improving its graduation rates and ful25 filling its responsibilities under title IX of the EduVerDate Mar 15 2010 18:31 Jul 22, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2617.IH H2617

srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 2617 IH

1 cation Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et 

2 seq.) with respect to pregnant and parenting stu3 dents. 

4 SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR STATE AND LOCAL ACTIVITIES FOR 

5 THE EDUCATION OF PREGNANT AND PAR6 ENTING STUDENTS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education is au8 thorized to make grants to States to carry out the activi9 ties described in subsection (d). A grant made under this 

10 section shall be for a minimum of three years, and the 

11 Secretary shall have the discretion to renew the grant at 

12 the end of the grant period. 

13 (b) APPLICATION.—A State desiring to receive a 

14 grant under this section shall submit an application to the 

15 Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing 

16 such information as the Secretary may reasonably require, 

17 including, at a minimum, the State plan described in sub18 section (f). 

19 (c) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.— 

20 (1) RESERVATION OF FUNDS FOR NATIONAL

21 ACTIVITIES.—From the funds made available to 

22 carry out this Act, the Secretary may reserve not 

23 more than 5 percent for national activities. 

24 (2) ALLOTMENT TO THE SECRETARY OF THE

25 INTERIOR.—The amount allocated for payments 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 2617 IH

1 under this Act to the Secretary of the Interior for 

2 any fiscal year shall be, as determined pursuant to 

3 criteria established by the Secretary, the amount 

4 necessary to meet the needs of— 

5 (A) Indian children on reservations served 

6 by secondary schools for Indian children oper7 ated or supported by the Department of the In8 terior; and 

9 (B) out-of-State Indian children in elemen10 tary schools and secondary schools in local edu11 cational agencies under special contracts with 

12 the Department of the Interior. 

13 (3) FORMULA GRANTS TO STATES.—The Sec14 retary shall allocate to States having approved appli15 cations the funds remaining after the application of 

16 paragraphs (1) and (2) based on the percentage of 

17 the State’s number of teen births compared to the 

18 number of teen births nationally, except that the 

19 minimum grant for a State shall be $300,000. 

20 (4) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Grant 

21 funds provided under paragraph (3) shall be used 

22 only to supplement the funds that would, in the ab23 sence of such Federal funds, be made available from 

24 non-Federal sources for the education of pupils parVerDate Mar 15 2010 18:31 Jul 22, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2617.IH H2617

srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 2617 IH

1 ticipating in programs assisted under this Act, and 

2 not to supplant such funds. 

3 (d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Funds made available to a 

5 State under this Act shall be used for the following: 

6 (A) To provide or enhance educational pro7 grams and related services that enable pregnant 

8 and parenting students to enroll in, attend, and 

9 succeed in school, and that are culturally and 

10 linguistically competent. 

11 (B) To designate a Coordinator for Edu12 cation of Pregnant and Parenting Students in 

13 the State educational agency to direct and man14 age the State educational agency’s activities re15 lated to this Act, in collaboration with the 

16 State’s designated employee responsible for the 

17 State’s efforts to comply with and carry out, to 

18 the fullest extent, its responsibilities under title 

19 IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 

20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.). 

21 (C) To prepare and carry out a State plan 

22 described in subsection (f). 

23 (D) To develop and implement high-quality 

24 professional development programs for local 

25 educational agencies and school personnel. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (E) To direct grants to rural and other 

2 local educational agencies without capacity to 

3 prepare an application for funds. 

4 (F) To ensure that information about the 

5 program is disseminated to all local educational 

6 agencies and made publicly and readily avail7 able on the State educational agency’s Web site, 

8 including— 

9 (i) the name and contact information 

10 for the individuals described in subpara11 graph (B); 

12 (ii) a list of subgrantees; and 

13 (iii) an explanation of the rights of 

14 students and responsibilities of schools 

15 under title IX of the Education Amend16 ments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), 

17 including investigation and complaint pro18 cedures as required under subsection (a) 

19 and (b) of section 106.8 of title 34, Code 

20 of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the 

21 date of the enactment of this Act). 

22 (2) RESERVATION FOR STATE-LEVEL ACTIVI23 TIES.—From the funds made available to a State 

24 under this Act, a State may reserve not more than 

25 10 percent for State-level activities. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (3) SUBGRANTS.—The State shall distribute at 

2 least 90 percent of each State grant as subgrants to 

3 local educational agencies in accordance with section 

4 4. 

5 (e) COORDINATOR FOR EDUCATION OF PREGNANT

6 AND PARENTING STUDENTS.—The Coordinator for Edu7 cation of Pregnant and Parenting Students in the State 

8 educational agency described in subsection (d)(1)(B) 

9 shall— 

10 (1) gather information on the nature and extent 

11 of State and local efforts to prevent teen pregnancy 

12 and the nature and extent of barriers to educational 

13 access and success facing pregnant and parenting 

14 students in the State, including information on re15 ported incidents of discrimination; 

16 (2) develop and carry out the State plan de17 scribed in subsection (f); 

18 (3) collect and report information to the Sec19 retary of Education, such as that which is listed in 

20 subparagraphs (A) through (G) of section 6(a)(6); 

21 (4) facilitate the coordination of services with 

22 the State agencies responsible for administering pro23 grams affecting children, youth, and families (in24 cluding for the purposes of maximizing the 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 2617 IH

1 leveraging of resources from such agencies), includ2 ing— 

3 (A) Temporary Assistance for Needy Fam4 ilies; 

5 (B) Medicaid; 

6 (C) Children’s Health Insurance Program; 

7 (D) teen pregnancy prevention, family 

8 planning, and maternal and child health pro9 grams; 

10 (E) Women, Infants and Children Food 

11 and Nutrition Service; 

12 (F) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

13 Program; 

14 (G) child care; 

15 (H) early childhood education, home visita16 tion, and child welfare programs; 

17 (I) workforce investment programs and 

18 postsecondary education; and 

19 (J) housing assistance and homeless assist20 ance programs; 

21 (5) coordinate and collaborate with educators, 

22 service providers, and local educational agency preg23 nant and parenting student liaisons; 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (6) provide technical assistance and training to 

2 local educational agencies, including the dissemina3 tion of best practices; and 

4 (7) report to the Secretary any complaints re5 ceived by the State about discrimination based on 

6 pregnancy or parenting status and what actions 

7 were taken to address those complaints. 

8 (f) STATE PLAN.—Pursuant to subsection (d)(1)(C), 

9 each State shall submit a plan to provide for the education 

10 of pregnant and parenting students. Such plan shall in11 clude the following: 

12 (1) A description of how such students will be 

13 given the opportunity to meet the same rigorous aca14 demic achievement and college and career-readiness 

15 standards that all students are expected to meet. 

16 (2) The policy, protocol, or procedure that each 

17 district or State implements once a pregnancy has 

18 been discovered on campus; including how each dis19 trict ensures the student understands his or her 

20 rights under title IX of the Education Amendments 

21 of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.). 

22 (3) A description of how the State will identify 

23 such students. 

24 (4) A description of training programs to raise 

25 awareness of school personnel regarding the rights 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 2617 IH

1 and educational needs of pregnant and parenting 

2 students. 

3 (5) A description of procedures designed to en4 sure that students eligible for Federal, State, or 

5 local food, housing, health care, or child care pro6 grams are enrolled and able to participate in such 

7 programs. 

8 (6) A description of procedures designed to en9 sure that students eligible for Federal, State, or 

10 local after-school programs or supplemental edu11 cational services are enrolled in and able to partici12 pate in such programs. 

13 (7) Strategies that respond to the problems 

14 identified under subsection (e)(1). 

15 (8) A demonstration that the State and its local 

16 educational agencies have developed, reviewed, and 

17 revised policies to remove barriers to enrollment and 

18 retention of pregnant and parenting students in 

19 schools in the State. 

20 (9) Assurances that— 

21 (A) State educational agencies and local 

22 educational agencies will not stigmatize, dis23 criminate against, or involuntarily segregate 

24 students on the basis of pregnancy or par25 enting; 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (B) local educational agencies will des2 ignate a pregnant and parenting student liaison 

3 to communicate with the Coordinator for Edu4 cation of Pregnant and Parenting Students in 

5 the State educational agency and oversee the 

6 provision of services at the local educational 

7 agency and school levels; and 

8 (C) State educational agencies and local 

9 educational agencies will ensure that transpor10 tation is provided for students who have an in11 ability to pay for transportation and who— 

12 (i) choose to attend programs for 

13 pregnant and parenting students located 

14 outside of their school of origin; or 

15 (ii) need transportation to and from 

16 school and the student’s child care provider 

17 for the student and the student’s child, re18 spectively. 

19 (10) Description of how the State will ensure 

20 that local educational agencies comply with require21 ments of this Act. 

22 (11) A description of technical assistance to be 

23 provided to local educational agencies. 

24 (g) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC

25 EDUCATION.—Each State and each local educational 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 2617 IH

1 agency shall include in professional development and pub2 lic education materials reference to, and shall ensure that 

3 school personnel, students, and family members of stu4 dents are aware of title IX of the Education Amendments 

5 of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) and its implementing 

6 regulations, which set forth the Federal civil right to be 

7 free from discrimination on the basis of a student’s preg8 nancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of preg9 nancy, or recovery therefrom. This includes the right to 

10 be free from harassment and stigmatization on those 

11 bases, as well as the following: 

12 (1) The right to enroll in any school or program 

13 for which they would otherwise qualify. 

14 (2) If enrolled into a special program or sepa15 rate school, the right to an education equal in qual16 ity to that offered to other students in the ‘‘main17 stream’’ or ‘‘originating’’ school. 

18 (3) The right to decline to participate in a spe19 cialized program or separate school. 

20 (4) The right to continue their education in the 

21 school in which they were enrolled, or would have 

22 been enrolled, prior to the student’s pregnancy, 

23 childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of preg24 nancy, or recovery therefrom, including elementary 

25 or secondary schools, charter schools, honors and 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 2617 IH

1 magnet programs, Advanced Placement and Inter2 national Baccalaureate programs, career and tech3 nical education programs, special education and non4 public school placements, alternative options or pro5 grams, migrant education, free and reduced lunch 

6 programs, services for English language learners, 

7 physical education programs, after-school academic 

8 programs, and any others for which they are other9 wise qualified. 

10 (5) The right to participate in school activities 

11 including graduations and other ceremonies; to re12 ceive awards or peer recognition; to participate on 

13 field trips, student clubs and councils, in after-school 

14 activities, including cheerleading or athletics teams; 

15 and in any other school-related programs, subject to 

16 providing a medical release if that is required of all 

17 students who have physical or emotional conditions 

18 requiring the attention of medical personnel and who 

19 want to continue participating. 

20 (6) The right to the same benefits and services 

21 offered to students with other temporary disabilities. 

22 (7) The right to an excused absence for as long 

23 as the student’s physician deems it medically nec24 essary, without penalty, and automatic return to the 

25 status the student held prior to the leave of absence. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (8) The right not to be retaliated against for 

2 raising awareness of, complaining about, or report3 ing discrimination. 

4 (h) COORDINATION FOR SUPPORT SERVICES.—Local 

5 educational agencies may coordinate with social services 

6 agencies, public health agencies, youth services providers, 

7 or other community-based organizations for the purposes 

8 of ensuring that pregnant and parenting students have ac9 cess to the academic support services they need to con10 tinue their education; and to raise awareness among agen11 cies about pregnant and parenting students and their edu12 cational rights and opportunities. 

13 (i) PREGNANT AND PARENTING STUDENT LIAI14 SON.—The duties of a local educational agency’s pregnant 

15 and parenting student liaison shall include— 

16 (1) identification, by consulting with school per17 sonnel, and by self-reports, of pregnant and par18 enting students in need of services to help them stay 

19 in school and succeed; 

20 (2) gathering information on the nature and ex21 tent of barriers to educational access and success 

22 facing pregnant and parenting students in the geo23 graphic area served by the local educational agency, 

24 including information on reported incidents of dis25 crimination; 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (3) ensuring and facilitating the continued en2 rollment of pregnant and parenting students in 

3 school in an academic program that best meets the 

4 educational goals of the student and his or her fam5 ily; 

6 (4) ensuring that the educational and related 

7 barriers faced by pregnant and parenting students 

8 are addressed, and that any services and referrals 

9 provided are culturally and linguistically competent; 

10 (5) informing pregnant and parenting students 

11 of educational and related services extended to preg12 nant and parenting students and of their right 

13 under title IX of the Education Amendments of 

14 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) to continue their edu15 cation; and 

16 (6) coordinating the provision of services in 

17 conjunction with the Coordinator for Education of 

18 Pregnant and Parenting Students in the State edu19 cational agency and with community organizations 

20 and partners. 

21 SEC. 4. LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY SUBGRANTS FOR 

22 THE EDUCATION OF PREGNANT AND PAR23 ENTING STUDENTS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency re25 ceiving a grant under section 3 shall make competitive 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 2617 IH

1 subgrants to local educational agencies for the purpose of 

2 facilitating the enrollment, attendance, and success in 

3 school of pregnant and parenting students. Services may 

4 be provided on school grounds or at other facilities. 

5 (b) APPLICATION.—Local educational agencies seek6 ing subgrants shall submit an application to the State edu7 cational agency in time and manner required by the State. 

8 The application shall include— 

9 (1) an assessment of the educational and re10 lated needs of pregnant and parenting students in 

11 the local educational agency; 

12 (2) a description of the local educational agen13 cy’s plan for addressing those needs, and assurance 

14 that the specific services and programs for which 

15 subgrants are being sought are culturally and lin16 guistically competent; 

17 (3) assurance of the local educational agency’s 

18 compliance with local educational agency require19 ments established in section 3; and 

20 (4) a description of the local educational agen21 cy’s plan for continuing specific services and pro22 grams for which subgrants are being sought in case 

23 of the loss of or absence of Federal assistance. 

24 (c) AWARDS.—Subgrants under this section shall be 

25 awarded on the basis of need and the strength of the appliVerDate Mar 15 2010 18:31 Jul 22, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2617.IH H2617

srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 2617 IH

1 cation in meeting the requirements and goals of this Act. 

2 Priority consideration shall be given to applications from 

3 local educational agencies serving students in geographic 

4 areas with— 

5 (1) teen birth rates that are higher than the 

6 State average; or 

7 (2) teen birth rates below the State average but 

8 having one or more racial or ethnic groups with teen 

9 birth rates higher than the State average. 

10 (d) DURATION.—Subgrants under this section shall 

11 be for periods not to exceed 3 years. 

12 (e) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—Subgrant funds shall be 

13 expended for activities that include— 

14 (1) the provision of academic support services 

15 for pregnant and parenting students, which may in16 clude, but are not limited to academic counseling, 

17 the development of individualized graduation plans, 

18 assistance with class scheduling, assistance with 

19 planning for and gaining access to postsecondary 

20 educational opportunities, assistance securing tutor21 ing or other academic support services, supplemental 

22 instruction, homework assistance, tutoring, or other 

23 educational services, such as homebound instruction 

24 services to be provided during extended leaves of ab25 sence due to pregnancy complications, childbirth, or 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 2617 IH

1 the illness of a student’s child, to keep the student 

2 on track to finish the student’s classes and graduate; 

3 (2) assistance to pregnant and parenting stu4 dents in gaining access to quality, affordable child 

5 care and early childhood education services; 

6 (3) the provision of transportation services or 

7 assistance so that parenting students and their chil8 dren can get to and from school and child care, re9 spectively, and so that pregnant students unable to 

10 walk long distances can get to school if transpor11 tation is not already provided for that student; 

12 (4) the provision of services and programs to 

13 attract, engage, and retain pregnant and parenting 

14 students in school, including informing pregnant and 

15 parenting teenagers and their family members and 

16 caring adults of their right to continue their edu17 cation, the importance of doing so, and the con18 sequences of not doing so; 

19 (5) the education of students, parents and com20 munity members about the educational rights of 

21 pregnant and parenting students; 

22 (6) the professional development of school per23 sonnel regarding the challenges facing pregnant and 

24 parenting students and their educational rights; 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
23 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (7) proactive outreach efforts to assist pregnant 

2 and parenting teenagers with excessive absences and 

3 to re-enroll pregnant or parenting teenagers who 

4 have dropped out of school; 

5 (8) the revision of school policies and practices 

6 to remove barriers and to encourage pregnant and 

7 parenting students to continue their education, such 

8 as revising attendance policies to allow for students 

9 to be excused from school for— 

10 (A) attendance at pregnancy-related med11 ical appointments, including expectant fathers 

12 who are students; 

13 (B) fulfillment of the student’s parenting 

14 responsibilities, including arranging child care, 

15 caring for the student’s sick child or children, 

16 and attending medical appointments for the 

17 student’s child or children; and 

18 (C) such other situations beyond the con19 trol of the student as determined by the board 

20 of education in each local educational agency, 

21 or such other circumstances which cause rea22 sonable concern to student or the student’s par23 ent for the safety or health of the student, for 

24 example addressing circumstances resulting 

25 from domestic or sexual violence; 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
24 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (9) the provision to student parents, and at a 

2 student’s request, also to a non-student parent or 

3 other family members and caring adults, of training 

4 and support in parenting skills, healthy relationship 

5 skills, and other life skills such as goal setting, 

6 budgeting, time management, financial literacy, net7 working, job interviewing, applying for college and 

8 securing financial aid; and 

9 (10) the provision of educational and career 

10 mentoring services and peer groups, whether during 

11 school hours or after school. 

12 (f) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subgrant funds may be ex14 pended for allowable activities such as— 

15 (A) the provision of child care and early 

16 childhood education for the child of the par17 enting student, either by providing these serv18 ices directly on school grounds or by other ar19 rangement, such as by providing financial as20 sistance to obtain such services at a child care 

21 facility within a reasonable distance of the 

22 school; 

23 (B) the provision of case management 

24 services to pregnant and parenting students, 

25 such as assistance with applying for and accessVerDate Mar 15 2010 18:31 Jul 22, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2617.IH H2617

srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
25 

•HR 2617 IH

1 ing public benefits and Federal financial aid for 

2 postsecondary education and training; 

3 (C) the provision of, or referrals to, preg4 nancy prevention, primary health care, maternal 

5 and child health, family planning, mental 

6 health, substance abuse, housing assistance, 

7 homeless assistance, legal aid services, including 

8 paternity testing, establishing parental rights, 

9 child custody arrangements, and other services 

10 needed by the student; 

11 (D) the provision of emergency financial or 

12 in-kind assistance to a parenting student to ful13 fill the basic human needs of a student and the 

14 student’s child; 

15 (E) efforts to create a positive school cli16 mate for pregnant and parenting students, in17 cluding addressing discrimination against, har18 assment and stigmatization of pregnant and 

19 parenting students; and 

20 (F) the provision of training practicums 

21 for graduate students in social work to carry 

22 out the purpose of the grant. 

23 (2) MEDICALLY ACCURATE AND COMPLETE IN24 FORMATION.—With respect to information provided 

25 under subparagraph (C), whether provided by local 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
26 

•HR 2617 IH

1 educational agencies or by contract or arrangement 

2 as described in subsection (g), the information shall 

3 be, where appropriate, medically accurate and com4 plete. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the 

5 term ‘‘medically accurate and complete’’ means 

6 verified or supported by the weight of research con7 ducted in compliance with accepted scientific meth8 ods and— 

9 (A) published in peer-reviewed journals, 

10 where applicable; or 

11 (B) comprising information that leading 

12 professional organizations and agencies with 

13 relevant expertise in the field recognize as accu14 rate, objective, and complete. 

15 (g) ACTIVITIES OF NONPROFIT COMMUNITY ORGANI16 ZATIONS.—Local educational agencies may provide and 

17 expend subgrant funds on required activities authorized 

18 in subsection (e) or allowable activities authorized in sub19 section (f) directly or by contract or arrangement with so20 cial services agencies, public health agencies, youth serv21 ices providers, or other nonprofit community-based organi22 zations with experience effectively assisting pregnant and 

23 parenting students to stay in school by conducting the ac24 tivities described in subsections (e) and (f). 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
27 

•HR 2617 IH

1 SEC. 5. CONVERSION TO CATEGORICAL PROGRAM IN 

2 EVENT OF FAILURE OF STATE REGARDING 

3 EXPENDITURE OF GRANTS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, from the 

5 amounts specified in subsection (b), make grants to local 

6 educational agencies in a State described in subsection (b) 

7 for the required activities specified in section 4(e) and the 

8 allowable activities specified in section 4(f). 

9 (b) SPECIFICATION OF FUNDS.—The amounts re10 ferred to in subsection (a) are any amounts that would 

11 have been allocated to a State under section 3(c)(3) that 

12 are not paid to the State as a result of— 

13 (1) the failure of the State to submit an appli14 cation under section 3(b); 

15 (2) the failure of the State, in the determina16 tion of the Secretary, to prepare the application in 

17 accordance with such section or to submit the appli18 cation within a reasonable period of time; or 

19 (3) the State informing the Secretary that the 

20 State does not intend to expend the full amount of 

21 such allocation. 

22 SEC. 6. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education shall 

24 carry out the following activities: 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
28 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (1) Review of State plans to ensure they ade2 quately address all of the elements listed in section 

3 3(f) of this Act. 

4 (2) Provide technical assistance to State edu5 cational agencies. 

6 (3) Provide guidance to Federal programs and 

7 grantees likely to have contact with pregnant and 

8 parenting students and their family members and 

9 caring adults regarding the educational rights of 

10 pregnant and parenting students and the State edu11 cational agencies responsibilities, including the re12 sponsibilities under this Act. 

13 (4) At the end of each 3-year grant period, con14 duct a rigorous, evidence-based, comprehensive eval15 uation of the local educational agency programs 

16 funded by these grants and their effectiveness in im17 proving graduation rates and educational outcomes 

18 for pregnant and parenting students, including ac19 ceptance and enrollment in higher education. The 

20 findings of such evaluations shall be reported to 

21 Congress. 

22 (5) Conduct a one-time national evaluation of 

23 pregnant and parenting student access to education 

24 program service delivery models, directly or via con25 tract with an independent research institution. IdenVerDate Mar 15 2010 18:31 Jul 22, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2617.IH H2617

srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
29 

•HR 2617 IH

1 tify and disseminate the findings and best practices 

2 at the State and local levels, including models of 

3 programs that are successful at, or show promise of, 

4 serving specific racial or ethnic groups or have been 

5 modified and tested with specific racial or ethnic 

6 groups, and create an online best practices clearing7 house as a resource for other State educational 

8 agencies and local educational agencies. 

9 (6) Annually collect and disseminate nonperson10 ally identifiable data and information, in a manner 

11 protective of student privacy, and disaggregated by 

12 each school or alternative program identified pursu13 ant to subparagraph (B) and by whether services for 

14 pregnant and parenting students are offered in 

15 school or off-site, on— 

16 (A) the number of pregnant and parenting 

17 students enrolled in school; 

18 (B) rates and participation of pregnant 

19 and parenting students in mainstream or origi20 nating schools, rates and participation of preg21 nant and parenting students in alternative pro22 grams and, for each alternative program, an in23 dication as to whether it is offered in a main24 stream school or off-site; 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
30 

•HR 2617 IH

1 (C) pregnant and parenting students’ per2 formance on academic assessments; 

3 (D) pregnant and parenting students’ 

4 graduation rates, dropout rates and transfer 

5 rates; 

6 (E) rates of usage by pregnant and par7 enting students of child care services or assist8 ance (if offered); 

9 (F) rates of usage by pregnant or par10 enting students of other services offered (bro11 ken down by type of service); and 

12 (G) such other data and information as the 

13 Secretary determines to be necessary and rel14 evant. 

15 (7) Coordinate data collection and dissemina16 tion with the agencies and entities that receive funds 

17 under this Act and those that administer programs 

18 in accordance with this Act. 

19 (b) REPORTING RATES.—Notwithstanding subsection 

20 (a)(6)(B) through (F), if the number of pregnant and par21 enting students in a particular school or program is small22 er than the N size, it shall be reported by local educational 

23 agency, and if the number of pregnant and parenting stu24 dents under the jurisdiction of the local educational agenVerDate Mar 15 2010 18:31 Jul 22, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2617.IH H2617

srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
31 

•HR 2617 IH

1 cy is smaller than the N size, it should be reported by 

2 State. 

3 SEC. 7. EFFECT ON FEDERAL AND STATE NONDISCRIMINA4 TION LAWS. 

5 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to preempt, 

6 invalidate, or limit rights, remedies, procedures, or legal 

7 standards available to victims of discrimination or retalia8 tion under any other Federal law or a law of a State or 

9 political subdivision of a State, including title VI of the 

10 Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), title 

11 IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 

12 1681 et seq.), section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

13 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), the Americans with Disabilities Act 

14 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), section 1557 of the 

15 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Pub16 lic Law 111–148), or section 1979 of the Revised Statutes 

17 (42 U.S.C. 1983). The obligations imposed by this Act are 

18 in addition to those imposed by title IX of the Education 

19 Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), title VI 

20 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), 

21 the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

22 12101 et seq.), and section 1557 of the Patient Protection 

23 and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–148). 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
32 

•HR 2617 IH

1 SEC. 8. DEFINITION OF STATE. 

2 For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘State’’ means 

3 each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Com4 monwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the 

5 Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the 

6 United States Virgin Islands, and any other territory or 

7 possession of the United States. 

8 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

9 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

10 this Act $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2012 and such sums 

11 as may be necessary for fiscal years 2013 through 2016. 

Æ 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS