Sponsor
Frederica Wilson
Representative · D-FL
Representative · D-FL
The bill gives parents and caregivers a modest, clarified right to limited paid or paid-substituted time (48 hours/year) for school involvement — improving engagement and flexibility for many families — but it may deplete existing leave, require advance notice/certification that limits spontaneous attendance, and impose costs or scheduling burdens on employers and agencies.
Parents, guardians, and caregivers (including federal and private-sector employees) can take up to 8 hours per 30 days (48 hours per year) to attend or participate in school- or community-sponsored activities for a child or grandchild.
Employees may use accrued paid vacation, personal, or sick leave (or be required by employers to do so) to cover parental-involvement leave, helping preserve income while taking time for school engagement.
This parental-involvement leave can be taken in addition to existing FMLA leave (where applicable), expanding overall leave available for family needs.
Employees who substitute accrued paid leave for parental-involvement leave risk depleting vacation, personal, or sick balances needed for other purposes (illness, emergencies, vacations).
Requiring at least 7 days' notice and a Secretary-prescribed certification can prevent parents from attending short-notice or surprise school events.
Employers—especially small businesses—may face lost productivity, scheduling difficulties, or need for temporary coverage when employees take intermittent parental-involvement leave.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Adds up to 8 hours per 30 days (48 hours/yr) of parental-involvement leave under FMLA and Federal leave law to attend or participate in child-related school or community activities, additive to other leave.
Official title: To amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and title 5, United States Code, to allow employees to take, as additional leave, parental involvement leave to participate in or attend their childrens and grandchildrens educational and extracurricular activities, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 31, 2026 by Frederica Wilson · Last progress August 31, 2026
Creates a new parental-involvement leave right for private- and Federal-sector employees. The bill adds an FMLA leave category and a parallel Federal employees leave allowing eligible workers to take up to 8 hours in any 30-day period and up to 48 hours in any 12-month period to attend or participate in school- or community-organization-sponsored activities related to a child, grandchild, or student in programs such as K–12, Head Start, or state-licensed child care. The leave is in addition to other leave entitlements, may be taken intermittently or on a reduced schedule, and can generally be covered by an employee’s accrued paid vacation, personal, family, annual, or sick leave under employer/agency policies. The bill includes notice and certification rules and adds a definition of “grandchild” and “school” aligned with existing Education statutes and Head Start references.