FELTON, Del.- Jaielyn Belong said she is satisfied that the Lake Forest School District will now allow her to pump breast milk during school.
According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers must provide a nursing mother reasonable break time to pump breast milk after the birth of her child.
The Breast Feeding Coalition of Delaware suggests that since a student is required to attend school for a full day, this may be considered "work."
That's not the opinion of Lake Forest Superintendent of Schools Dan Curry.
"As an employee you have certain rights and expectations, but those aren't the same for students," he said. "Employment law does not apply to a student who is returning to school. You don't have an opportunity to explain that to everyone who thinks you've perhaps mishandled it."
Curry said staff will accommodate teen moms. It is unclear how specifically the school will provide accommodations.
"They'll have to bring their own cooler to store (breast milk) in. We're not comfortable with storing it in the teacher's refrigerator where they store their lunch," Curry said.
Curry also said someone offered to purchase a small refrigerator for Jaielyn and other teen moms to store breast milk.
Jaielyn said she is happy with that decision and happy she'll be able to keep her baby and herself healthy.
Other school districts in Kent County tell WBOC they have accommodations in place for staff and students who need to pump breast milk.
