California Mother Fights for Her Right to Breastfeed During Online Class

A mom fought to exercise her right under a California law after her instructor told her not to breastfeed during her online class.

Marcella Mares is a mother to a 10-month-old baby girl and a college student at Fresno City College in California. On September 23, she received an email from her instructor about a new class attendance rule. The email instructs students to turn their cameras and microphone on during online classes.

Since Marcella breastfeeds her baby, she replied and asked her instructor if she would be allowed to turn off her camera and microphone from time to time to feed her baby. However, the instructor's response was not something that she had expected.

"I am glad to hear that you can have your camera and microphone on," the instructor wrote, "but please do not breastfeed your daughter during class time because it is not what you should be doing." Her instructor asked her to do it after class.

She Felt Humiliated

On her Facebook post, she said that she didn't respond to the email, and she went to a class about half an hour later. She said the first thing her professor told the class was that he received a "weird" email from a student stating that she needs to do "inappropriate things" during class. He then told the class to put all distractions aside or to "be creative when your child needs you" and give full attention in class.

Breastfeeding mamas &any mama that is trying to juggle school, work, & a child should be praised not put down & humiliated. I love my baby & would choose her health over anything or anyone, any day of any week!

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Mares said she was upset and felt humiliated hearing her professor say "weird" and "inappropriate" while referencing her email. She said, "I was so hurt that an actual human said these things about me & my breastfed baby in public to other students. I was humiliated."

"This is a child we are talking about."

She said that to receive an email telling her what she can and can't do in her house with her child is one thing. But to hear him announce to the class and say something about her email was a whole other thing. She furthered that it is not about phones or TVs or any other "THING," but "this is a child we are talking about."

She said that with the help of her cousin, she took action and filed her complaint. Fresno City College, Public Information Office, confirmed that the school did receive a complaint from a student who was not permitted to breastfeed during online classes.

Speaking to CNN, Fresno City College Public Information Officer Kathy Bonilla said that the school already replied to Mares. Bonilla said that the school confirmed Mares' rights according to a California law and assured her it would not be violated.

The law requires schools to provide reasonable accommodations to a lactating pupil and other related conditions. The school said that the instructor was not aware of the existence of such a law but has already reached out to Mares to "correct his directive."

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