Posted: | August 8, 2013 12:05 PM |
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From: | Representative Dan L. Miller |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Parental Involvement Leave Act |
In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation requiring employers to provide paid leave to employees so that they may attend parent-teacher conferences, planning activities for early intervention services, and related activities pertinent to the academic advancement of their children. Under this legislation, employers will be required to provide eligible employees with eight hours paid parental leave per school year to attend parent-teacher conferences or similar academic focused activities related to their children. Additionally, employers will be required to provide twelve hours paid parental leave per school year related to the development of necessary special education plans for their children. According to the U.S. Department of Education, students with parents who are actively involved in their education have better grades, exhibit better test scores and show improved academic achievement over the long-term. Parental involvement has also been positively linked to higher attendance rates and lower rates of suspension. The importance of parental involvement in developing and understanding IEPs, IFSPs, and service plans and how they are linked to the likely success of their children cannot be overstated. The value to the Commonwealth in developing and graduating young adults prepared to independently compete in the economy is clear and significant. Making it easier for parents to participate in such activities is both a step in the right direction and a recognition of the difficulty facing most middle class families. Because I believe that this legislation will help to improve the academic outcomes of our young people in the Commonwealth, I ask you to join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB1673