Legal Blog

The New School Year: FMLA and Employees’ Absence for School-Related Meetings

Work-life balance is a critical component of business. However, the line between what is “required” by law for employee absence and what employers “should” do is sometimes blurred. A recent Department of Labor (DOL) decision speaks specifically to the issue of employees taking leave for their children’s school-related meetings under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

As a general matter, the FMLA applies to employers with fifty (50) or more employees, requiring that employees are provided with leave for their own or family-related qualifying health conditions. The DOL’s recent decision states that if the employee’s school-related meetings are taken in connection with a child’s “serious health condition,”  they may be eligible for FML. The decision specifically addressed the situation of an employee’s request to take leave for school meetings surrounding their children’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The DOL found that the employee could use FML to attend the meetings, which were a type of “making arrangements for changes in care” – typically covered by the FMLA.

Based on this decision, I recommend that employers implementing FMLA first identify whether the employees’ school-related meeting is linked to a child’s serious health condition – or not. If the meeting is linked to the parents’ care for their child’s medical condition (which can include mental and physical conditions) a medical certification should document the FML request. Importantly, every request for FML should be taken seriously by employers and fully-vetted to ensure compliance with the law. Assistance from counsel can help navigate gray areas and create policies that minimize liability. If you have any questions about a leave issue, please feel free to reach out to me to discuss.

If you have any questions about this or any other Labor and Employment topics, please contact me at tstringham@offitkurman.com or 703-745-1849

 

ABOUT THEODORA STRINGHAM

tstringham@offitkurman.com | 703-745-1849

Theodora Stringham assists individuals, businesses, and organizations with growing successfully while minimizing liability. Focusing on real estate and personnel needs, Ms. Stringham executes sustainable plans for real estate development and employee matters. She provides comprehensive representation for everyday growth issues, including, but not limited to, re-zonings, site plan approvals, eminent domain/valuation concerns, employment discrimination, and disciplinary issues. Ms. Stringham’s scope of representation ranges from identifying potential liability and providing counseling/trainings, all the way through representation at trial.

 

 

 

 

ABOUT OFFIT KURMAN

Offit Kurman is one of the fastest-growing full-service law firms in the United States. With over 200 attorneys in 14 offices that stretch from New York to North Carolina, we represent privately-held companies and families of wealth throughout their business life cycles. Our mission is to provide our clients with “The Better Way” to grow their organizations, protect their businesses’ and families’ wealth, and resolve their most challenging legal conflicts. In addition to our quality of attorneys and breadth of legal services, Offit Kurman is distinguished by our unique operational structure, which encourages collaboration rather than internal competition. The same approach that makes our firm attractive to legal practitioners gives clients unlimited access to experienced counsel in every area of the law. Trust, Knowledge, Confidence—in a partner, that’s perfect.

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