Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Family Engagement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hopkins board passes resolution urging paid family‑engagement leave, calls for local and state action
Summary
The Hopkins Public Schools board unanimously passed a resolution calling on cities and the Minnesota Legislature to create options for up to 16 hours of paid leave to enable caregivers to participate in school meetings and events and directed district staff to develop a family engagement plan.
The Hopkins Public Schools Board of Education voted Aug. 19 to adopt a resolution urging local and state policymakers and community partners to reduce a prominent barrier to family participation in schools: lack of paid leave.
The resolution asks district administration to create a district family engagement plan and calls on municipalities in the district to consider ordinances and on the Minnesota Legislature to adopt a law that would guarantee caregivers of pre-K–12+ students access to up to 16 hours of paid leave annually for school-related activities. The measure passed by roll call; the minutes record aye votes from Chair Andreessen, Director Brooke Roper, Treasurer Rachel Hartland, Director Westmoreland, Director Zhou and Director Ross.
Board members framed the measure as an equity‑focused strategy to increase participation and improve outcomes. “Students with engaged caregivers are twice as likely to earn higher grades and graduate on time,” Director Roper said when introducing the resolution, citing research she summarized for the board. Roper described the measure as an invitation to local employers and city governments to co-design a practical approach, not a unilateral mandate.
Why it matters District leaders and research cited at the meeting linked family engagement to improved attendance, higher academic achievement and better behavioral outcomes. The board emphasized the resolution’s intent to build collaborative local approaches — from municipal ordinances to voluntary business policies — and to elevate the issue for MSBA and the state legislature.
What the resolution asks - District administration: develop a family engagement plan that sets goals at district and site levels. - Municipal partners: consider ordinances that provide family‑engagement leave options for employees in their jurisdictions. - Minnesota Legislature: adopt a statute guaranteeing up to 16 hours of paid leave for caregivers to attend school‑related events.
Board reaction and next steps Board members from across the table supported advancing the concept, but they and administration acknowledged that passing enabling legislation or local ordinances will require broader engagement with businesses, chambers of commerce, municipal governments and state lawmakers. The board directed staff to pursue partnerships and to begin work on the family engagement plan.
The resolution passed with recorded aye votes by roll call; the board scheduled no legislative or ordinance text tonight but signaled plans for broader coalition building and MSBA engagement.
