The Lexington City School Board voted in June to approve a paid parental leave policy for employees, finalizing a plan that expands support for staff navigating major life transitions. The vote followed several revisions to the version first introduced in May.
The approved policy grants eligible employees up to 30 work days for recovery and 30 work days for bonding and newborn care following the birth of a child—replacing the original language of six weeks each. The benefit must be used within 12 months of the child’s birth and taken as a single, continuous block.
Employees who experience a stillbirth or miscarriage are now entitled to 20 work days of paid leave, rather than four weeks as previously proposed. The policy also clarifies that “work days” include all days the employee would normally be expected to work, including teacher workdays and days when school is closed due to inclement weather — replacing language that would have excluded certain days from the leave period.
“I just want to say thank you,” said board member Katie Shester following the vote. “I’m so grateful to you for writing this policy.”
Superintendent Rebecca Walters, who first proposed the benefit last month, welcomed the board’s input and praised the final result. “Thank you for the feedback,” she said. “I feel the policy was great, and now it’s even better.”
The benefit is available to employees who have worked for the division for at least 12 months and have not exhausted their FMLA eligibility. It may only be used once per 12month period and applies to birth, adoptive, and foster parents, with the bonding portion available to all.
Walters emphasized that while the policy enhances recruitment and retention, its deeper goal is to align the division’s culture with the real lives of its employees.
The policy takes effect immediately.
