Know Your Rights, First Quarter of 2012

The Family-School Parternership Act

We can all agree that education is a crucial component to our children’s long term success. As parents, we continue to find ways to help our kids grow and develop with everyday activities like helping them with their homework, driving to and from school activities and supporting their scholastic interests. Unfortunately, demanding and often hectic work weeks can hamper our efforts of being more hands-on in our kids’ classrooms.

The Family-School Partnership Act is one tool that helps enable parents, grandparents and guardians to spend more time participating in the school activities of their children. The following are some guidelines that outline the provisions of the law:

Eligible Employee: Any employee who is a parent, guardian or grandparent having custody of one or more child enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade, requesting leave from work to participate in the school activities of their children.

Reasonable Notice: Employees are required to give reasonable notice of their intent to participate in school activities; generally, seven (7) days in advance, unless such notice is not possible.

Type of Leave: Employees may use accrued annual leave, compensatory time or, if the employee has exhausted all paid leave, may use leave without pay.

Amount of Leave: State law allows up to eight (8) hours per month, or forty (40) hours per school year of leave for parents of school-age children (K thru 12).

Documentation: Departments may require reasonable written documentation, such as a statement on school letterhead that the employee actually participated in school activities.

No Adverse Action: Employees who are eligible to participate in school activities with their children shall not have any adverse action taken (such as discipline or threat of discipline, or any other discrimination for taking leave for school activities).

If you encounter any difficulties in taking advantage of this opportunity to spend more time with your children in the classroom, please do not hesitate to contact your MEA Labor Representative at (619) 264-6632. We are here to protect and enforce your rights!