no maternity leave, and the rest having compulsory maternity leave. The compulsory maternity leave rules were grounded in the belief that women were incapable of making their own decisions about work, health care, and their professional competency. Most of these compulsory maternity leave rules required teachers to take leave 4-6 months before childbirth until well after the child was born, leaving visibly pregnant women basically unable to work. Virtually all maternity leave was unpaid. The stated rationale behind these compulsory maternity leave laws were: that pregnant women could not meet the physical or mental demands of the job, that pregnancy interrupted the continuity of instruction for students, and that pregnant women might get hurt on the job. In this case the court found that this reasoning was faulty, as women do not lose all sense and ability simply because they are visibly pregnant. See also US labor law List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 414 Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill (1985) - Another case involving the school district References External links 1974 in United States case law United States public employment case law United States substantive due process case law United States Supreme Court cases United States Supreme Court cases of the Burger Court Education in Cleveland Parental leave in the United States History of Cleveland United States gender discrimination case law