Coffee County board adopts standalone paid parental leave policy; family and medical leave updated

The Coffee County Board of Education on Tuesday approved a new standalone paid parental leave policy after auditors requested a separate policy document, and amended the district's family and medical leave policy to remove duplicate language.

Board members said the auditor required that paid parental leave be presented as its own policy rather than embedded inside another document. Human-resources staff reviewed the draft language before it was presented to the board. The amended family and medical leave policy was revised to remove its paid-parental-leave provisions so the new standalone policy governs those benefits.

The board's discussion noted eligibility criteria in the new family and medical leave language: employees must hold the relevant license or emergency credential and be in a full-time position requiring that credential for at least 12 consecutive months to qualify. Board members also discussed how employees may take paid parental leave: the law and the draft policy allow employees to take the six weeks consecutively or in separate one-week increments, with a minimum increment of one week.

Staff advised that there is variation in attorney interpretation of the new statute and recommended consulting the board attorney for implementation guidance and any additional instructions. Human-resources staff present on the dais reviewed the changes and confirmed that the separate policy was created to satisfy the auditor's request.

Motion and outcome: the board voted to adopt the new paid parental leave policy and to accept family and medical leave as amended.