Honestly, I had to read the article three times before I really believed it, though the opening line is pretty clear: “Breast feeding is now officially banned in Dougherty County schools.” Excuse me?

The recent report from a local TV station in Albany, Georgia explained that the Dougherty County School Board unanimously approved a policy that prohibits breast feeding by employees and students on school property. The action came after a teacher had requested permission to breast feed her infant during her non-instructional break times.

Ironically, the school board used the option to pump breast milk as a reason why breastfeeding was not required.

"As a board, and as a superintendent of schools, we looked at this and said they can expel milk. They can save that and then take it home. We just want to make sure that education in schools is designed for it's supposed to be." -- Dougherty School District Superintendent Dr. Joshua Murfee

And, in order to support its “pumping is the answer” policy, the School Board directed schools to set up private areas where breast feeding mothers can pump their breasts and store their milk.   Setting up pumping areas is truly fabulous.  In the last few months alone, MomsRising has heard from scores of teachers who have shared their unsuccessful attempts to pump milk while a class room teacher so we know this is a genuine problem.  But isn’t requiring a nursing mom to pump rather than breastfeed entirely missing the point?

In puzzling over this story with Megan Renner, Executive Director of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee, she made an excellent point (worth quoting directly!):  “This is a good example of how we have gotten across the message to society almost too well about the benefits of the MILK. Advocates are working to refocus attention on the MOM in the equation, bolstered by the focus of The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding on all the ways that society needs to support moms. We don’t actually know how the health benefits are affected by the milk itself vs. the actual act of breastfeeding. The research on all the positive effects of 'breastfeeding' doesn’t differentiate between breastfeeding (at the breast) and feeding breast milk in a bottle. But there is a lot of data showing positive physiological, hormonal, and emotional 'bonding' effects that do  occur when babies are fed at the breast for both the mother and the baby, that do not occur when a baby is fed by a bottle.”

It appears that this policy is likely illegal given current Georgia law that states that “in the interests of maternal and child health and allows a mother to breastfeed her baby in any location where the mother and baby are otherwise authorized to be.” A number of great local activists and legal types are investigate possible options so stay tuned about how you can get involved directly.

In the meantime, what do you think of all of this?  What would you tell the Dougherty County School Board if you had the chance?