Paternity Leave
Accrued Leave Days and Family Medical Leave (FML) may apply to paternity leave, depending on your situation. All district leave policies run concurrently. Intermittent leave is not allowed for paternity leave.
For all full-time employees:
You may use any of your Accrued state personal days or vacation days. Sick days may not be used for paternity leave. When you have used all state personal days and vacation days, you must return to work.
Note: If you are required to stay home to help care for your wife or if the baby is ill, your absence will be considered illness in the family instead of paternity leave. Please refer to the web page discussing illness in family for further information.
Additional leave available if you have worked for PISD more than 1 year:
If you have worked at least 1,250 hours in the last 12 months (the Benefits department will determine this for you), then you may qualify for additional unpaid leave through Family Medical Leave (FML). If not, you will qualify only for the leave described in the previous section.
FML will run concurrently with your Accrued Leave Days as described above. However, under FML, you may remain off work for the rest of your available FML time. This additional time off work will be unpaid.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I request paternity leave? Approximately 1 month before you need paternity leave (or as soon as possible when your leave begins), you must contact Nancy Alexander in the Benefits and Risk Management Department – (469)752-4754 or nancy.alexander@pisd.edu. Nancy will help you with the paternity leave process.
What if both parents are PISD employees? If both parents are PISD employees and both are eligible for FML, the time off is limited to a combined total of 12 weeks and runs concurrently with any other leave. Please contact us for assistance in determining the dates of your leave.
What papers do I need to turn in? You will need to provide a doctor’s note stating the date the baby was born. The paternity leave packet will contain additional forms you need to submit.
How do I record my absences? Your absences must be recorded as “State Personal Leave” in order to use those days, and “Vacation” in order to use those days. If you are eligible for extended leave under FML, those additional absences must be recorded as “Unpaid Leave” or “Dock”.
May I do any work while on paternity leave? No, you may not perform any job duties on campus or at home while on paternity leave, nor can your supervisor require you to do so. This might include grading papers, preparing lesson plans, supervising classes or athletic events, attending PDH training or parent/teacher conferences, and other job duties.
Is my baby automatically covered on the PISD health plan? No. If you wish to cover your baby on your PISD health plan, you must contact the Benefits department within 30 days of the birth to add coverage as of the birth date. If you do not contact us to add your baby within this timeframe, the claims cannot be paid, and the baby cannot be added until the next open enrollment period.
Is there a support program to help foster a healthy pregnancy? Yes. If your wife is enrolled in one of our medical plans, then she is eligible for the Nationwide Better Health Maternity Management Program (87 KB), formerly called FutureFootsteps.
If I do not receive a paycheck, what will happen to my health plan benefits? If you do not receive a paycheck or if your paycheck is insufficient to make the premium deductions, you will receive an invoice for any premiums which are due. You will have 30 days in which to make payment. If payment is not received by the due date stated on the invoice, your health plan benefits will be cancelled, or if possible, you will be moved to a plan for employee only coverage that is completely covered by the district’s contribution. This may result in additional deductible or out-of-pocket costs. If your medical, dental, or vision benefits are cancelled while you are on FML, you may request to reinstate the coverage and resume premium payments when you return to work after your FML.
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