Mom wins fight against NYU to allow ‘banned’ baby on campus

A “desperate” mom who’s juggling motherhood and law school scored a victory this week when — with the help of The Post — she successfully convinced NYU to let her previously banned baby onto campus. 

After weeks of pleading with officials to allow her three-month-old son onto campus so that she can breastfeed him between classes, second-year law student Devorah Neiger was repeatedly told that only vaccinated guests ages 5 and older can enter any NYU building. 

As she’s enrolled in four courses and in class five days a week, Neiger came up with a workaround: Having her baby and his vaccinated nanny wait in an empty space on campus until she could squeeze in a quick feeding session.

But when the infant and nanny were caught in the lobby of the law school’s Furman Hall during the second week of classes, the Director for Diversity and Inclusion emailed Neiger to put her on notice: “This is still a violation of the university’s COVID-19 Visitor Policy which applies to lobby areas as well as interior parts of the building so cannot be a continued practice.”

After The Post began making calls about the baby ban, NYU apparently changed its policy by end of day Thursday — the same time as the deadline The Post gave the school for comment.

Now, the Westchester mom of three will finally be able to have her 12-pound tot wait inside school buildings.

“They’re making an exception for me,” Neiger told The Post on Thursday.

Asked about the sudden change of policy, including the “exception,” Michael Orey, spokesperson for the law school, told The Post: “NYU regularly reassesses its health and safety protocols, and has recently relaxed a number of Covid-19 restrictions. In accordance with that trend, our student, and others who are similarly situated, may now bring their children into NYU buildings.”

The school, which carries a $73,216 tuition, did not respond to questions about whether children under 5 must present vaccination status.

After being rebuked by the Director for Diversity and Inclusion for having her son and nanny in the lobby of Furman Hall, Neiger pleaded with officials on Sept. 8 in an email seen by The Post.

“All I want to do is be able to breastfeed my baby when I literally have just 10 minutes between/during classes. I’m not asking for much,” she wrote. “I am in an intensive academic program where I’m told attendance is mandatory or my degree will be jeopardized. You have a mother who is willing, able (and frankly desperate) to try and give her baby everything he needs while pursuing an education. I am so disheartened and surprised by the university’s response and the roadblocks placed in my way.” 

Neiger, who was valedictorian of Baruch College, said she had previously been permitted to bring her son into class by two professors. In an email seen by The Post, one even reminisced about bringing her own young kids to class while she was a law student.

The mom, who said she needs to have immediate access to her son, said that an official had previously suggested two public spaces for him and the nanny to wait for her: one play space in Union Square, another neighborhood entirely; and a public library .8 miles away.  

But Neiger said she was uncomfortable with the nanny and her tiny tot traipsing around the crime-ridden Greenwich Village to pass time until she could meet them. “I don’t want my baby in random places in Manhattan, especially in a neighborhood riddled with crime,” she said.

“All I want to do is breastfeed my child at the door of the school,” Neiger told The Post. “I’m grateful to NYU for allowing my baby in. It was a relief to have him close by today on campus.”