5.39 Paid Parental Leave

(Adopted 11-4-2019; Revised 6-13-2022)

Paid parental leave is a benefit that allows up to four (4) weeks of paid time off for eligible full-time employees to provide an appropriate amount of time to recover from the delivery of a child, adjust to the placement of a child, or bond with a child.  Other leave may be combined with this policy to obtain up to twelve (12) weeks of leave in accordance with Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guidelines.

Procedures (Adopted 11-4-2019)

5.39.1  Eligibility

To be eligible for paid parental leave, an employee must:

  1. Be employed with the College at full-time status for at least 12 consecutive months in a benefits-eligible position prior to the start of the paid parental leave,
  2. Qualify for FMLA leave with the College as of the anticipated start of the parental leave (See policy 5.35 Family and Medical Leave Act.), and
  3. Have remaining FMLA leave available to utilize for the paid parental leave.

In addition, employees must meet one of the following criteria to be eligible for paid parental leave:

  1. Have given birth to a child
  2. Be a spouse/partner/co-parent of an individual who has given birth to a child
  3. Have adopted a child, gained a child through surrogacy, or gained placement of a foster child/in loco parentis child; and in either case, the child must be younger than 18 or incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability, as verified by a physician in accordance with FMLA guidelines

5.39.2  Amount, Timeframe, and Duration of Paid Parental Leave

  1. If both parents are employees of the College, each parent may receive paid parental leave as described in this policy, which may be taken concurrently, consecutively, or at separate times.
  2. Each week of paid parental leave is compensated at 100% of the employee’s regular, straight-time weekly pay and will be paid on regularly scheduled pay dates.
  3. Paid parental leave may be taken at any time during the 12 weeks following the birth, adoption, or placement of a child with the employee. Paid parental leave may not be used or extended beyond this 12-week time frame.
  4. The fact that a multiple birth, adoption, or placement occurs (e.g., the birth of twins or adoption of siblings) does not increase the four (4)-week total amount of paid parental leave granted for that event.
  5. An employee is only entitled to one event of paid parental leave during a rolling calendar year, regardless of whether more than one (1) birth, adoption, foster care, or in loco parentis placement event occurs within a rolling calendar year time frame. For example, a mother who receives four (4) weeks of paid parental leave for giving birth would be ineligible for paid parental leave for adoption in the same rolling calendar year.
  6. The paid parental leave may begin from the point the child is placed with the employee (granted custody) for the purpose of adoption; however, a consequential event from an original placement may not be eligible as a qualifying event, even if it occurs after an entire rolling calendar year. For example, an employee may take paid parental leave when a foster child is placed with said employee but cannot take paid parental leave again when the adoption occurs.
  7. Leave provided pursuant to this policy is only available to the extent it runs concurrently with an employee’s existing FMLA entitlement. For example, if an employee has only three (3) weeks of FMLA leave remaining at the time the employee’s paid parental leave is scheduled to begin, the employee would only be entitled to three (3) weeks of paid parental leave pursuant to this policy.
  8. Paid parental leave may not be donated or carried over to future years.
  9. Upon termination of the individual’s employment at the College, they will not be paid for any unused paid parental leave for which they were eligible.

5.39.3  Coordination with FMLA Guidelines 

  1. Any time taken off work for paid parental leave must be in accordance with the College’s established leave policies. See Policy 5.41 Leaves of Absence.
  2. This Policy may not be construed to provide leave in addition to the leave available under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). See Policy 5.35 Family and Medical Leave Act.
  3. Any leave taken under this Policy also qualifies as FMLA leave, and therefore, will be counted toward the 12 weeks of available FMLA leave per a 12-month period. All other requirements and provisions under FMLA will apply. In no case will the total amount of leave—whether paid or unpaid—granted to the employee under FMLA exceed 12 weeks during the 12-month FMLA period.
  4. After the paid parental leave is exhausted, the balance of FMLA leave, if applicable, may be compensated through employees’ accrued vacation, sick, and/or personal leave, if available. Upon exhaustion of accrued vacation, sick, and/or personal leave, any remaining leave will be unpaid leave.
  5. All benefits will be maintained for employees during the paid parental leave period just as if they were taking any other paid leave such as vacation, sick, or personal leave.
  6. Vacation, sick, and personal leave will continue to accrue during the paid parental leave period. Holiday pay will not be counted against paid parental leave, meaning if a College holiday occurs while the employee is on paid parental leave, such day will be charged to holiday pay.

5.39.4  Requests for Paid Parental Leave (Revised 6-13-2022)

  1. An employee will make every effort to notify their supervisor of their intention to request paid parental leave at least 90 days prior to the start of the leave. The employee will provide their immediate supervisor and Human Resources with the anticipated timing and duration of the leave. It is understood that under some circumstances it is not feasible to provide 90 days’ notice. In these cases, the employee must provide notice as soon as practicable.
  2. In order to receive paid parental leave, the employee must complete a Leave of Absence Form along with required FMLA documentation and submit the forms to Human Resources for verification at least 90 days prior to the start of the leave.
  3. Employees taking paid parental leave must reflect hours on their timesheet, if applicable, and Leave of Absence Request Form as paid parental leave (PAR).
  4. The employee must also communicate whether they intend to use the paid parental leave continuously or on a reduced schedule. Any request for reduced schedule leave requires the approval of the employee’s supervisor.