This spring, five teachers from Haldane High School will be going out on maternity leave. As the school prepares for this dramatic shift, students and adults alike may wonder about the process of parental leave and the complicated debate around it.

Currently, the United States is the only developed country that does not have federally mandated paid family leave. To understand why, looking back at World War II is necessary. During this time period, many women had to enter the workforce to combat labor shortages and keep their countries running. This gave women a chance to shed conventional roles and become more independent. With a greater share of women in the workforce, the need for maternity leave drastically increased in both the U.S. and Europe. Many European countries instituted paid maternity leave in the wake of the war. Still, in the U.S., it wasn’t until the 1960s that attitudes about gender equality in the workplace began to change. Campaigns led by women’s rights activists eventually led to the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993.

The FMLA is a law that provides eligible workers with 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for family or medical reasons. However, in order to be eligible for FMLA leave, an employee must meet specific qualifications. They must work at an eligible company that has 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius, have worked for that eligible employer for at least a year, and have worked at least 1,250 hours over the past year. Because of these strict criteria, according to the Department of Labor, only about 56% of workers in the U.S. are eligible for FMLA leave, and even fewer can afford to take so much unpaid time off work. New York is one of the 13 states that have instituted paid leave, offering an eligible employee up to 12 weeks of leave at 67% of their normal salary up to a certain cap. Unfortunately, New York public employees, including teachers, are not eligible to receive these paid New York State benefits. Rather, teacher unions must negotiate family leave policies with their school districts, so the guidelines may vary from school to school.

According to Josh Elder, Haldane’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Haldane’s parental leave policy states that teachers who give birth or adopt a child first must use up their given number of paid sick days concurrently with the 12 weeks of FMLA leave, until they run out of sick days or FMLA leave. If they run out of paid sick days before the FMLA leave ends, teachers then go on unpaid status for the remainder of their approved leave. Either way, they may extend their leave for the remainder of the school year in which the child was born or adopted; and, if needed, they can request the Haldane Board of Education to extend their unpaid leave for an additional school year.

For most parent workers, taking a sufficient amount of parental leave is essential, as studies have shown that the first few months of life are crucial to the healthy development of a baby. The National Partnership for Women and Families explains that paid leave allows mothers to bond with their children, cope with stress, and, of course, recover from the severity of pregnancy and childbirth. This decreases rates of infant mortality and postpartum depression while increasing the child’s cognitive function and immune system regulation.
Moreover, studies published by the American Psychological Association have shown that when fathers spend time with their children, it rewires the fathers’ brains, making them more empathetic and responsive. This can help to strengthen the bond between father and child, which reduces the chance of the child having behavioral problems later on.
Also, according to the U.S. Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, paid and job-protected leave can support the economy, as it allows workers to keep their jobs, develop expertise in their fields, and form deep ties with their companies and coworkers. All of this increases overall worker enthusiasm and productivity.

So, why don’t more states require paid leave?

According to studies by Stanford and Drexel Universities, some concerns are that many small businesses cannot afford to grant paid leave, and a nationwide mandate could be detrimental to these companies that are already struggling to stay afloat. Also, many businesses refrain from hiring young women for fear that they will have to give them maternity leave in the future. While the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has laws in place to prevent this, it still happens, creating another barrier that women must overcome if they want to succeed.
It’s also important to note parents’ various challenges when going on parental leave. “It’s not like you’re not working when you’re with your child. It’s actually easier to come to work,” said High School History Teacher Michelle Cordaro. Recovering from childbirth, getting little to no sleep, and providing constant attention to a baby is arduous for anyone. Besides the physical exhaustion that comes with dealing with a newborn, the emotions can also be quite complex. High School Math Teacher Kristen Peparo noted, “Even though you’re having your own child, you do feel that the students you’re teaching are your children, too.” In other words, stepping away from your normal routine is stressful for many parent workers, especially if you’ve developed bonds with your coworkers and students.

Between 2013 and 2023, the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY) was repeatedly proposed in Congress but has not yet succeeded in becoming law. If passed, the FAMILY Act would provide all American workers, including teachers, with up to 12 weeks of partially paid leave per year. It would be the biggest step that our country has taken towards parental leave since the FMLA Act of 1993 and would help to meet the needs of millions of families, including those in our Haldane community.

Until such an act succeeds, the best we can do is have compassion for the teachers in our school and the larger community going on leave and be flexible about the changes happening in our lives.

“I know sometimes it’s hard when you’ve gotten used to a teacher from the beginning of the year until now,” said High School Principal Julia Sniffen. “So I want our students to recognize that it’s not taken lightly…We really work to make sure there’s a smooth transition. I also want our students to appreciate that any new family deserves that time together because it’s a very important and beautiful time.”