My Birthday Wish

Tonight I celebrated my birthday by attending a meeting of the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC).  I'll try to write more on that later, but I just want to quick post my birthday wish. 

I hope that the support of many of the SHAC members tonight leads to a change in the district regulation to one that reads something like this:

AISD recognizes that breastfeeding is an important and basic act of nurture that must be encouraged in the interests of maternal and child health and family values.  It is also crucial for public health and reducing health care costs.   The Texas Legislature says that a mother is entitled to breastfeed her baby in any location in which the mother is authorized to be.

In keeping with these principles, mothers are welcome to breastfeed on AISD school campuses.  Therefore, a visitor who is breastfeeding her baby may not be denied the right to be in any part of a campus that would otherwise be available to her.  If she requests, a breastfeeding mother must be given access to the private room designated by the campus principal to be used by employees to breastfeed or pump.  Any offer to use this room should be made only with genuine assurances that the mother is welcome to breastfeed her baby wherever she chooses.

Editor's Note:  Above is the language we proposed before the winter break.  Below is what I originally posted here, before Marianne Baker and I worked on it some more.

"It is the policy of the Austin Independent School District to comply with Texas law, which protects a woman's right to breastfeed wherever she is authorized to be. A visitor will not be denied a right to be in any part of a campus that would otherwise be available to her. If she requests, a nursing mother shall be provided access to the private room designated by the campus principal to be used by nursing employees. Any offer to use this room should be made only with genuine assurances that the mother is welcome to feed her baby wherever she chooses.”