Family Leave for Parental Involvement in Education Act

The "Family Leave for Parental Involvement in Education Act" proposes significant amendments to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Title 5 of the U.S. Code, extending new leave entitlements to both private sector and federal employees. Its primary purpose is to allow employees to take additional time off to engage in their children's and grandchildren's educational and extracurricular lives. Specifically, the bill introduces a new category of leave called parental involvement leave . This leave can be used to attend school conferences, school-sponsored activities, or events organized by community organizations related to a child's or grandchild's program. Eligible employees would be entitled to a maximum of 8 hours of this leave during any 30-day period, with an annual cap of 48 hours within any 12-month period. Crucially, this new parental involvement leave is designated as additional leave , meaning it does not reduce an employee's existing FMLA entitlement. Employees can take this leave intermittently or on a reduced schedule, and may substitute accrued paid vacation, personal, or family leave, with employers prohibited from imposing stricter conditions on such substituted leave. Similar provisions are established for federal employees, allowing them to use accrued annual or sick leave for parental involvement. Both private and federal employees are generally required to provide at least 7 days' notice before taking this leave, and employers may require certification. The bill also formally defines "grandchild" within both the FMLA and Title 5 for this new leave type.