Salish Kootenai College recognizes the importance and benefits of lactation for both parents and their infants and seeks to promote a family-friendly environment in which to work and study. The College supports and encourages the practice of breastfeeding, accommodates lactation needs of its employees and students, and provides facilities for lactation as listed below.

1. Definitions:
   1. Lactating Parent: an individual who needs to express breast milk for a child
   2. Lactation Room: a private, functional location designated by the College, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion, where an individual can express breast milk or breastfeed.
   3. Reasonable Break Time: Time decided upon by employee and supervisor or student and their faculty and provided as needed by a lactating individual to express breast milk or breastfeed. At minimum, accommodations will be provided for up to one year following the child’s birth, and extended when reasonable and/or medically necessary. Lactation break time will be compensated in accordance with applicable federal law.
2. Initiation of Services
   1. Role of Employee
      1. Coordinate a plan as early as possible with immediate supervisor to confirm a plan on how to ensure that adequate services and facilities are available to support the decision to breastfeed or express milk in the workplace.
      2. Comply with the requirement to mark any/all breast milk placed in communal refrigeration with their name and date and to remove/take home such items at the end of each day.
   2. Role of Supervisor
      1. The supervisor will coordinate with the employee to provide reasonable break time each day for an employee who needs to express breast milk or breastfeed.
      2. Assist the employee to identify suitable space for such use, including providing privacy, lighting, and electricity needs. Private space does not need to be fully enclosed or permanent, but must be readily available during the time the employee needs the space.
      3. Ensure that there is a convenient facility for milk storage. If a departmental refrigerator is provided, employees must ensure that containers are well-marked.
      4. Ensure that the employee(s) know(s) their legal right to a discriminatory-free employment setting due to their decision to breastfeed or express milk in the workplace.
   3. Support of Students who are Breastfeeding of Expressing Milk
      1. Faculty and advisors shall provide reasonable flexibility for students to express milk or breastfeed. Students shall not be academically penalized, denied participation, or otherwise disadvantaged due to lactation needs. Reasonable opportunities to make up missed academic work will be provided.
      2. Advise students on location(s) of nearby designated lactation spaces or refer them to the Human Resource Office (Title IX Coordinator?) for a list of spaces throughout campus.
3. Designation of Lactation Spaces
   1. The College will provide private, designated lactation rooms across campus that meet the following criteria:
      1. Private room with closable door – preferably lockable (e.g., private office, unused conference room). While the employee is expressing milk or breastfeeding, the employee must be free from observation by any college-provided video system, including computer cameras, security cameras, or web conferencing platforms.
      2. Suitable/comfortable chair (preferably with available table space)
      3. Electrical outlet
      4. Access to a nearby clean, and safe water source
      5. Access to a refrigerator or cooler to store breast milk
      6. NOTE: Toilet stalls and closets are unacceptable
      7. Due to operational, financial, or space limitations, the College may designate a lactation space that is temporary so long as it complies with the requirements of this policy.
4. Discrimination Prohibited
   1. A lactating parent may breastfeed a child in any place open to the public on campus or any place the parent is otherwise authorized to be, and that this cannot be considered a nuisance, indecent exposure, sexual conduct, or obscenity.
   2. It is an unlawful discriminatory practice to refuse to hire or employ or to discharge an employee because the employee expresses milk or breastfeeds during breaks in the workplace or to discriminate against an employee who expresses milk or breastfeeds in the workplace during breaks.
   3. Employees who experience challenges or denial of accommodations may contact the Human Resources Department or the Title IX Coordinator.