NJ Parents Could Get Paid Leave To Attend Kids' School Functions Under Bill

NEW JERSEY — Up to two days of paid leave may soon be available for New Jersey parents to allow them to attend their child’s school extracurricular activities and meetings with teachers.

"We've heard over the years about the need to get parents more involved in children's education, and this is really a bill to try to do that," Sen. Vincent Polistina, R-Atlantic, says of his bill meant to provide extra breathing room for busy parents.

The plan would be optional for employers but would come with a tax break to businesses that elect to participate.

Under the state’s Earned Sick and Safe Leave Law, parents are already allotted up to 40 hours of paid time off that can be used for a variety of reasons, including attending school events where their presence is requested.

While the new bill would ensure that attending a parent-teacher conference would not chip away at those 40 hours that may also be used for sick-related absence, detractors say it makes things more complicated. The idea of adding extra days to the current law rather than potentially adding confusion for the employee, was suggested by the New Jersey Citizen Action group.

As it stands, the bill has garnered extra support from the New Jersey Business and Industry Association due to the program being optional.