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Family Medical Leave

FMLA Certification for Health Care Provider

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. FMLA applies to all positions which a qualified employee holds with the MRH School District.

Eligible employees are entitled to:

  • Twelve workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for:
    • the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth;
    • the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement;
    • to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition;
    • a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job;
    • any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a covered military member on “covered active duty;” or
  • Twenty-six work weeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness if the eligible employee is the servicemember’s spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin (military caregiver leave).

Additional Guidance on Parental Leave Language in the CBA

We want to share an important update regarding the interpretation of parental leave outlined in Section 5.5 of the 2024–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Additional guidance has clarified that the phrase “days of paid consecutive leave” may now include the summer break. This means eligible employees may use their parental leave consecutively across school years, without summer break interrupting the leave timeline.

This reflects a change from past practice, which did not permit parental leave to extend across school years and included specific language to that effect. As that language is not present in the current CBA, this updated interpretation provides greater flexibility for employees using parental leave.

What does this mean for you?

  • If you begin your paid parental leave at the end of one school year, you can complete your remaining consecutive leave days at the start of the next school year.
     

  • If your child was born during the 2024–2025 school year (July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025), you are eligible for 20 paid parental leave days.
     

  • If your child is born during the 2025–2026 school year (July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026), the CBA provides 25 paid parental leave days.

Human Resources will reach out directly to all impacted employees, and the district will use this opportunity to clarify and strengthen the language in future versions of the CBA. The language is provided below for your convenience.

5.5 Pregnancy, Childbirth and Adoption Leave (2024-2025 CBA)

When a child is born, adopted, or fostered, the employee will be able to apply for Paid Parental Leave. This shall also be applicable to an Employee that becomes a court-appointed legal guardian of a minor child. The district shall provide twenty (20) days of paid consecutive leave not charged against the employee's PTO. After the twenty (20) days of paid consecutive leave provided by the district has been exhausted, the employee will then use any PTO, vacation, or unpaid leave to fulfill the FMLA maximum of twelve (12) weeks if the need to continue leave exists.

*Increased to 25 days in the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 School Years