In September, Colorado employers will no longer be obligated to provide parental leave under Colorado law for employees who are attending a child’s academic activity.
In 2009, the Colorado Legislature passed the “Parental Involvement in K-12 Education Act” which required covered employers to provide up to 18 hours of unpaid leave to an employee for the purpose of attending academic activities relating to that employee’s child. The Act is set to expire on September 1, 2015, and measures attempted by the 2015 Colorado Legislature to extend the Act until 2020 failed to pass.
If your organization’s current employee handbook or leave policies provide for this parental leave, you should consider whether to delete the policy or, if you desire to continue offering this leave, revising the policy so that it may better meet your business and operational needs. For most employers with generous vacation and/or PTO policies, this additional parental leave may not be necessary, as such policies provide sufficient paid time off for employees to attend to their child’s academic affairs.
For more information contact one of our employment law attorneys.