The William Penn School District policy committee on June 5 reviewed proposed updates to Policy 336, Personal Necessity Leave, including added legal citations and language clarifying that paid or unpaid leave may be provided as an accommodation under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and consistent with Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Committee members focused on how the policy defines "near relative" and whether the district should broaden that definition to address nontraditional family arrangements. "I mean, for a lot of our families, this does not define their family," said Miss Hoff, a board member, urging a review of the policy's family definitions. "Maybe we say nontraditional family. Right?" she added later.

Ms. Gardner, a district staff member who presented the policy updates, said the leave distinctions come from the Pennsylvania School Code and that clarifications were added about bereavement leave and which family members qualify. Dr. Williams, who led the meeting, noted a recent error in the posted draft: a chunk of text had been mistakenly shown as stricken and needed to remain in the policy.

Board members discussed the practical effect of the policy's language: whether nearby relatives who live in the same household receive longer leave (five days) versus a shorter allotment (one day) for other relatives. "Yeah. Tracy. That's a yes," Dr. Williams responded when a board member asked whether near relatives who live in the same residence get five days instead of one.

The committee gave staff direction rather than taking final action. "I think we can speak with our solicitor and figure out what the correct wording is to capture a nontraditional family," Dr. Williams said, and Miss Gardner agreed to align with David Khan, the district solicitor, and return any revisions at the next reading.

Next steps: staff will consult the solicitor on alternative wording to encompass nontraditional families and will report back at the next policy reading. No formal vote or policy adoption occurred at the June 5 meeting.