PAID PARENTAL LEAVE

Please be aware that the law treats “[d]isabilities associated with pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. . .as any other temporary disability.”  See Ed Code Section 87780.1 and Article 6.17 of the faculty contract for more information.

Faculty may take up to 12 work-weeks of parental leave.  They may use accrued sick leaves for paid parental leave purposes, including the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.  

After all sick leave is exhausted, faculty may then use differential paid leave for the remainder of the 12-week period of absence.  Faculty paid under this differential formula will receive the greater of the following for the remainder of the 12-week period:

• 50% of their regular salary OR 
• The difference between what the employee would have received during the period of absence and the amount that was actually received by a substitute employee during the absence OR
• The difference between what the employee would have received during the period of absence and the amount that would have been paid to a substitute employee.

Eligibility:  To be eligible for paid parental leave, a faculty member’s initial date of hire must be at least twelve (12) months prior to taking parental leave, but there is no minimum number of hours worked in order to be eligible for paid parental leave.”

Limitations:  

• No faculty shall be paid in excess of 100% of their salary during the period of parental leave.
• Paid parental leave must be taken within 12 months of the date of birth or placement of the child with the faculty member. 
• Maximum Duration: Parental leave shall run concurrently with any Family Medical Leave taken for the same purpose. A unit member shall not be entitled to more than twelve (12) workweeks of parental leave in any twelve (12) month period, paid or unpaid. 
• Faculty cannot work at all while on parental leave; they may not work part-time or online from home while on parental leave. 

Other Details:  

• The twelve (12) workweeks do not have to be taken consecutively. 
• If both parents of the child for whom leave is taken are employed by the district, any amount of parental leave taken by one parent shall not diminish the twelve (12) workweeks of parental leave to which the parent may be entitled.
• Additional Parental Leave. Upon written request, a faculty member may request additional parental leave, which the District may grant as paid or unpaid.