Effective Date: May 1, 2025
Responsible Office: Human Resources
01. Purpose
Southwestern University recognizes that supporting staff as they balance career and family life ultimately benefits the entire university community. The purpose of this policy is to provide Paid Parental Leave (PPL) to eligible Southwestern University staff for the birth, adoption, foster care, or kinship placement of a child, and to establish guidelines for the use of such leave. This leave is designed to support staff members as they balance professional responsibilities with the important life event of expanding their family while ensuring compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and any applicable state laws.
02. Policy Statement
Southwestern University recognizes that supporting staff as they balance career and family life ultimately benefits the entire university community. By offering Paid Parental Leave, the university allows employees to spend time with a newborn, newly adopted, or foster child, while ensuring the continuation of their professional role.
Eligibility for Parental Leave begins on the date of birth of the employee’s child, on the date of the adoption, or foster care placement of a child younger than three years of age.
03. Definitions
- Paid Parental Leave: Up to six (6) weeks of paid leave provided to eligible employees, which must be used within sixteen (16) weeks immediately following the birth, adoption, or foster care or kinship placement of a child. During Paid Parental Leave, staff members are not required to fulfill any professional duties for the university.
- FMLA: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal employment law that provides eligible employees with unpaid, job-protected leave for certain medical and family reasons.
04. Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for PPL, an employee must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be a regular, benefit-eligible staff member who works at least 30 hours per week.
- Have been employed with Southwestern University for at least twelve (12) months.
- Additionally, employees must meet one of the following criteria:
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- Be a new parent by childbirth.
- Be the new adoptive parent of a child under the age of 18.
- Be a parent of a child born via surrogate.
- Be an individual approved to provide foster care or kinship placement and actively parenting the child in their care.
05. Exclusions
Employees who act solely as gestational carriers (i.e., surrogate mothers without legal parental rights) or who serve solely as reproductive donors (i.e., sperm or egg donors with no parental claim) are not eligible for Paid Parental Leave. However, an employee who has a child via surrogacy or who legally adopts a stepchild is eligible for leave under this policy.
06. Use of Paid Parental Leave
Employees are entitled to a maximum of six (6) weeks of Paid Parental Leave, which must be used within sixteen (16) weeks following the birth, adoption, or foster care or kinship placement of a child.
Paid Parental Leave may be taken continuously or as a reduced work schedule (e.g., part-time), as long as it is used within sixteen (16) weeks.
Multiple events (e.g., births, adoptions, foster placements) within the same twelve-month period do not increase the amount of Paid Parental Leave.
Eligible spouses who work for Southwestern University will each receive a maximum of six (6) weeks of Paid Parental Leave.
07. Compensation
Paid Parental Leave will be paid at 100% of the employee’s base salary at the time of leave.
The employee will continue to receive their full benefits (health, dental, vision, etc.) during Paid Parental Leave.
The employee will accrue sick and vacation during the period of Paid Parental Leave.
08. Requesting Paid Parental Leave
Employees must provide at least thirty (30) days’ notice prior to taking Paid Parental Leave, when feasible. In cases where advance notice is not possible, employees must notify Human Resources as soon as practicable.
Employees are required to provide legal documentation (e.g., birth certificate, adoption decree, foster care placement document) within thirty (30) days of the qualifying event or as soon as it becomes available.
09. Coordination with Other Leave
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): Paid Parental Leave will run concurrently with any eligible FMLA leave and will count toward the sixteen (16) weeks of FMLA leave (including the additional 4 weeks for childbirth) in a rolling year.
Employees must use any accrued sick or vacation leave before they utilize unpaid leave.
10. Limitations on Use
Paid Parental Leave cannot exceed the employee’s normally scheduled workweek. If an employee works a reduced schedule but exceeds that schedule, they are required to adjust the Paid Parental Leave accordingly.
Paid Parental Leave cannot be donated to another employee.
11. Tracking and Reporting
Human Resources will manage the approval, tracking, and reporting of Paid Parental Leave usage. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring accurate time reporting for their employees.
Employees must submit appropriate documentation related to their leave request and work with Human Resources to ensure accurate tracking of Paid Parental Leave.
12. Forms and Documentation
To request Paid Parental Leave, please complete the necessary FMLA forms available from Human Resources as well as your request for PPL. Documentation of the qualifying event, such as a birth certificate or adoption decree, must be provided within thirty (30) days.
13. Additional Notes
Requests for parental leave, and the use of such leave, will not result in any adverse employment actions.
Parental leave is available only once per qualifying event (i.e., multiple leaves for the same event are not permitted).
14. Contacts
For questions or assistance regarding this policy, please contact:
Human Resources Office
Phone: 512.863.1435
Email: hr@southwestern.edu