Parent Protection Act - GA Council on Developmental Disabilities magazine

Cindia Cameron, 9to5 Organizing Director in Atlanta, and mother and daughter 9to5 Atlanta chapter members Linda and Jennetta Alllen explain why the Parent Protection Act, which would allow for 24 hours of unpaid leave in Georgia for parental involement in school activites and time off for doctors' appointments,  is critical to families caring for children with disabilities.

Parent Protection Act - What It Is And How It Can Affect You
by Bill Lewis

"Dear Ms. Johnson, I'm sorry to but I can't come to my son's parent teacher conference on Thursday because I am unable to get off work."

It could be a note like that, or a phone call, or simply a ‘no-show.’ In a scene repeated daily at schools across Georgia, parents have a tough decision to make: Do I risk my job status by asking my employer for time off, or do I just not go? How do you choose between being a caregiver for your family and a loyal, hardworking employee? The answer may very well lie in HB 901, which is under consideration in the Georgia House of Representatives and is better known as the Parent Protection Act (PPA). In a nutshell, the PPA is designed to provide up to 24 hours of unpaid, job-protected leave per year to attend school conferences, the employee’s own medical appointments or to take a child, parent or spouse to their medical appointments.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Roger Bruce (GA-64). “The intent of this bill is to give people a sufficient amount of time to take care of the realities of life,” Bruce explained. “Going to your child’s school is not something you should have to lie to your employer about to take care of that business, or to take a dependent parent to the doctor.”

Cindia Cameron, Organizing Director of 9to5, the National Association of Working Women, concurs, pointing out that most families in Georgia have parents in the work force. Nationally, less than one in five children are in a family where there is one working parent and one stay-at-home parent. 

The idea for PPA actually came from a fifth grader at A. Phillip Randolph Elementary School in Fulton County. Bruce had been asked to come speak about how a bill becomes law. The principal called him a few days later and said one of her students had a bill for him to introduce. The student explained that he wanted his parents to be able to come to classroom activities, go on field trips and be at parent/teacher conferences, but they couldn’t because they were afraid of losing their jobs.
 

The original name of the legislation was “Time Out for Schools.” But as other groups saw the benefit of its provisions for not only children but other family members as well, it grew into the current Parent Protection Act.

One of those groups was the Coalition of Advocates for Georgia’s Elderly (Co-Age). “The major issue for us is that over 75 percent of the care for elders in this country is delivered by family members, yet there are a number of caregivers who don’t have adequate protection on their job to be able to get paid or [get] unpaid leave to be able to take whoever they’re taking care of to doctors’ appointments and so forth,” Kathryn Fowler, Executive Director of Co-Age, said. 

Writing in support of the PPA, Co-Age said that “flexible family leave policies strengthen families, businesses, schools and the economy by increasing the ability of employers to recruit and retain the best people, improve productivity and moral, and decrease turnover and absenteeism.”

Extra Beneficial for Parents Who Have Children With Disabilities

“Often, children with disabilities have more doctors’ appointments, they need more medical attention. Sometimes you can get a doctor’sappointment during the evening or your day off, but often those are during the workday,” said Cameron. In fact, it’s not just good parenting, but it’s the law.

“Under Georgia law, there are at least 12 different mandates that require parents to be at school to register their child and to bring proof of immunization. Parents of children with disabilities have to be at the IEP meetings, as well. Parents are required to be at school by law and they can have legal repercussions if they aren’t, but there’s no legalprotection for them to take off work.”

Kimberly Brown-Mack from the Fulton County school system sees that disparity, and explains how the PPA could alleviate the pressure. “The Parent Protection Act would give parents a little more security. It would allow them to take time off for their children.

“Parents who have children with developmental disabilities already have a lot of issues and they learn how to cope with these disabilities. It often means they have to take a little more time off of work, but right now they can’t.”

The Effect on Business

Bruce feels the PPA would be beneficial to businesses. “The bill provides for 24 hours per year, and you have to make those arrangements in advance. So to me, that’s good for business.”

There is some opposition to the PPA, but it’s mainly a question of legalities. “Georgia has a Doctrine of Employment At Will,” Bruce said. “An employer can fire someone for any reason or no reason. The opposition feels it would be an infringement on that right.”

Some also think the Family Medical Leave Act covers this situation, but that’s not necessarily the case. “The Family Medical Leave Act does not apply because it only covers businesses of 50 or more and only for medical situations,” Bruce pointed out.

According to Co-Age: “The Parent Protection Act will provide a much-needed complement to the FMLA. Allowing individuals to take up to 24 hours of unpaid leave per year to take themselves, children or a parent to routine preventive medical appointments will keep the family unit healthy, seniors better able to stay in their homes and the business community strengthened.”

“We’re asking for something minimal,” Fowler added. “We’re asking for people who don’t have leave to be able to take some unpaid leave, and know they’re not going to lose their job.”

As of this writing, the PPA is in the Industrial Relations Committee for review. When the legislature convenes again, Bruce is hopeful the bill will be voted on in committee and sent to the House for discussion. “I don’t think there’s anybody that’s walking around that doesn’t have some issue that they are dealing with personally. And people need to search within themselves and say if they were in a similar situation – would they not want help? If they can say ‘no’ to that, then I can understand the opposition. But I don’t think there’s anyone out here that doesn’t have something they’re dealing with internally.”

Flexibility in Hours Leads to Improvement in Overall Work Performance
By Carol Richard, AIA, LEEDAP • Partner, Richard Wittschiebe Hand

Richard Wittschiebe Hand is a women-owned architectural practice that was founded in 1991. The firm has grown to over 20 people representing a diversity of race, age, gender and sexual orientation. Seventy percent of our staff is female, representing an unusually high proportion in the architectural profession. Our extended “family” includes numerous children under the age of 10.

We’ve had a number of female staff members work with us through their pregnancies and, after maternity leave, have returned to us under flexible work hours. Currently, we have a female project manager who is a single mom. She works reduced hours and a flexible schedule so that she can care for her son when he gets home from school. When he is sick, she works from home. She is invaluable to us. Another female project manager has three young children, two of whom are in elementary school. She needs to have the time to go to school conferences for her kids. She adapts her schedule to be able to attend those conferences, and we are happy to accommodate her. Two of the men in our office have working wives with infants at home and they each took leave after their babies were born. They came back feeling good about having had a
chance to spend time at home with their newborns.

We have found that providing our staff with flexibility in schedule and hours has allowed us to maintain our staff with minimum turnover. We value the constancy of staff – it is crucial in our industry to have individuals with project knowledge and experience stay with the project from beginning to end. To us, it makes good business sense to make sure our staff is taking care of their own needs as well as their family needs. When basic needs are taken care of, they can concentrate on their work. We have a young female architect who was recently hit by a car while riding her motorcycle. She has undergone months of physical therapy. It would have been a hardship for her to get the therapy she needed without flexibility in her schedule and in the long run it may have taken longer to heal. Those unpredicted absences would have been detrimental to our company.

We believe that the Parent Protection Act provides basic rights for working families and that it makes good business sense, too. We support the passage of the Parent Protection Act.

Mother and Daughter Believe Parent Protection Act Will Ensure Needs Are Met for All
By Linda Allen and Jennetta Allen

My daughter Jennetta is a college student. What an incredibly exhilarating statement to make. As a parent of a child with disabilities each and every milestone is celebrated and achieving the seemingly impossible is pure joy. It took determination, hard work and a strong support system that included flexible employers that understood the importance of parental participation at school. My employers worked with me, allowing
me to attend IEP meetings where Jennetta and I developed strong goals and objectives.

We weren’t always so lucky. When Jennetta was first diagnosed with Spino-Cerebellar Syndrome my employer fired me because they were concerned I would miss too much work caring for her. How would I provide for my family? How would I make sure Jennetta received the attention, services and education she deserved? Eventually I found a job that allowed me the flexibility to support my family while ensuring Jennetta’s needs were met.

The Parent Protection Act will give parents 24 hours a year to attend school meetings and doctor’s appointments without costing their jobs or ability to provide for their families. Just 24 hours a year can make a difference in the life of a child.

Every day in my work as a family advocate of children with emotional behavioral disorders I am reminded of the struggles of balancing work and family. Teachers tell me that their biggest obstacle is lack of parental involvement while at the same time parents tell me they want to be involved, but are at risk of losing their jobs if they take time off from work.

The Parent Protection Act is good for Georgia. It will give parents the ability to be involved with their children’s education, take them to doctor’s appointment and give our children the chances they need to succeed.

Jennetta’s Story

My name is Jennetta Allen and I am a sophomore at Strayer University. I am a success story of what is possible with strong parental involvement at school.

I was diagnosed with Spino-Cerebellar Syndrome when I was five. At first, school was very hard. I can remember getting sick at school one day and waiting for my mother to pick me up. I waited all day. Finally, the principal drove me home because my mother’s boss would not let her leave the job. I remember how angry I felt and I remember my mom crying. She was fired a few weeks later.

My mom did not work for the next few years until she found a job that allowed her to take the time she needed for me. Every year, my teachers and my mother and I prepared for my IEP (Individualized Education Plan) as mandated under No Child Left Behind.

My mom never gave up on me. Through a collaborative approach to my education I was able to achieve a high school diploma and acceptance into an accredited university.

I want all children in Georgia to have the same opportunities and support that I had. The Parent Protection Act will allowparents to be involved with their children’s education without worry of losing their jobs. With strong parental involvement and a collaborative approach to education, anything is possible.