Parental leave is a giant issue facing Americans today, but Pennsylvania teachers are being PENALIZED for taking time off to have children. 

In most school districts in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States, teachers do not get a single day of paid maternity or paternity leave. However, what is worse is that for teachers to take unpaid time off for having children, they will lose years of credited service in the Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS). PSERS is in charge of teachers' pensions and PSERS years of service determines when teachers can retire or take a sabbatical. This means that if a teacher takes only two weeks of unpaid leave after birthing a child, they will have to push back their retirement year.  Typically, teachers cannot just work those two weeks into the next school year and then retire. This is not acceptable for the hard-working teachers in our country. Teachers are being penalized, not only by having to take UNPAID time to have children, but now because they take this unpaid time, they have to work extra years before retirement and cannot take sabbaticals after being employed for ten years as is stated in PA School Code 1166.   PSERS does not credit teaching service time to teachers while on maternity or paternity leave, even when they are still considered employees of their district. 

As a PA educator and mom of two, I have written and called to state representatives, state senators, and Governor Tom Wolf. My voice has not been heard and it is time to show PA that this issue needs attention.

It is wrong that teachers are required to work extra years before retirement for having children and it is wrong to deny them sabbaticals when they have earned ten satisfactory years of service as is stated in PA School Code. I am urging you to sign this petition and tell Pennsylvania elected officials that teachers deserve to earn credited teaching service time on parental leave.