H.R. 10200: Family Leave for Parental Involvement in Education Act

This bill would expand family leave rules so workers could use leave to attend or take part in certain school-related and community-related activities for their children or grandchildren.

What leave would be allowed

Under the bill, eligible employees would be able to take leave to:

• Attend a school conference, or
• Participate in an activity sponsored by a school or a community organization that is related to a program attended by the employee’s child or grandchild.

The bill defines school broadly to include:

• Elementary schools and secondary schools,
• Head Start programs, and
• Child care facilities.

It also defines community organization as a private nonprofit organization that represents a community or part of a community and provides activities such as scouting or sports.

How much leave could be taken

The new leave would be added on top of existing leave already available under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or, for federal workers, under federal leave laws. The bill would limit this new leave to:

• 8 hours in any 30-day period, and
• 48 hours in any 12-month period.

Employees could take this leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule, meaning it could be used in smaller blocks rather than all at once.

Paid leave and employer rules

The bill would allow an employee to use accrued paid vacation, personal leave, or family leave instead of unpaid leave for this purpose. For some of the leave, employees could also use paid sick leave or paid medical leave. In some cases, an employer could require that substitution of paid leave.

The bill would also say that if paid leave is substituted, the employer cannot apply stricter conditions than those already allowed under the law. It would not require employers to create new paid sick leave or paid medical leave if they do not already offer it.

Notice and certification

Employees would generally need to give their employer at least 7 days’ notice, or as much notice as is practical, before taking this leave.

Employers could require a certification supporting the leave request, subject to rules the Labor Secretary would issue.

Changes for federal employees

The bill would make similar changes for federal employees under title 5 of the U.S. Code. Federal workers would get the same kind of leave for school conferences and school- or community-sponsored activities involving their child or grandchild, with the same basic limits, notice rules, paid-leave substitution option, and certification process.

Relevant Companies

None found.