This article appeared in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune today. I am representing the woman who was told that she could not breastfeed at her daughter's school. http://www.sgvtribune.com/index.asp?puid=1498&spuid=1498&indx=1237978&article=on Nursing at center of school dispute Breast-feeding mom, lawyer vow to fight By Nicole M. Campbell Staff Writer BALDWIN PARK -- A 25-year-old mother has retained the services of a lawyer after allegedly being told by her daughter's principal that breast-feeding on campus was illegal. Luz Saucedo, whose son is 2 months old, said the incident happened Nov. 16 after she went outside to breast-feed while volunteering in her 5-year-old daughter's kindergarten classroom at Van Wig Elementary School in La Puente. "I was sitting on the bench and the principal came close to me and said I couldn't breast-feed my baby there," Saucedo, a Baldwin Park resident, said. "She said it was against the law. I was so surprised I couldn't say anything." Saucedo, who said she never had problems breast-feeding her daughter in public, said Principal Olivia Ventura suggested going into the kitchen of her daughter's classroom to continue breast-feeding. Saucedo refused. "I was just there breast-feeding my baby, something so natural, so beautiful and never planned that this would happen," Saucedo said, adding she covered her breast while nursing her son. Scared she might be arrested for breast-feeding, Saucedo called Women, Infants and Children, which put her in touch with Los Angeles-based attorney Alexis Martin Neely, who is on the board of directors of the Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles, a nonprofit advocacy group. "There is a law in California that provides a mother can breast-feed her baby anywhere in public or in private that a mother and her baby are entitled to be," Neely said. "Breast-feeding is the natural, normal way to feed and women should not be made to feel ashamed or humiliated." Ventura declined comment, but Bob Nero, superintendent of the Bassett Unified School District, said there was no issue with Saucedo breast-feeding, it was that she did it in the classroom, distracting students. "The students in the classroom were focused on her nursing the baby and the teacher was trying to get them refocused," Nero said. "No. 1, it is not illegal to nurse your baby. No. 2, if nursing her baby created a distraction from the learning process, that's where we have to draw the line." Section 44811 of the California education code says any person who disrupts classwork or extracurricular activities or causes "substantial disorder" can be charged with a misdemeanor. Neely refutes the claim Saucedo was inside when breast-feeding. "In all our conversations, she has been very consistent and maintained she was outside," Neely said, "and even if she was inside, the law is that she has a right to breast-feed anywhere in public or private where she was entitled to be." Neely adds a breast-feeding baby is less distracting because it is not crying in hunger. Nancy Solomon, a senior staff attorney with the California Women's Law Center and consultant on Saucedo's case, said compounding the ignorance many people have about the state law, on the books since 1998, is their reluctance to embrace breast-feeding. "They feel it's an indecent exposure issue and I believe they sexualize the act of breast-feeding when it's a very natural, healthy decision on the part of the mother," Solomon said. No legal action is pending against the district; Neely said the goal is to get the district to change its policy, institute training for all employees and teach students about breast-feeding. "If they are not willing to settle with us and make sure this doesn't happen again, I wouldn't rule out a lawsuit by any means," Neely said. "What they did was violate the civil code." Saucedo said the incident on campus has left her shaken. "I was very comfortable before this and now everything is different," Saucedo said. When breast-feeding in public, "I'm looking around each time." -- Nicole M. Campbell can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2472, or by e-mail at [log in to unmask] Alexis Martin Neely, Esq. Mama to Kaia Ray Neely (11/2/99) "Breastfeeding support is an integral part of the family/friendly workplace environment." -Work & Family Coalition of San Diego How have you supported breastfeeding today? _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html