H-4093.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2684
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 55th Legislature 1998 Regular Session
By Representatives Keiser, Wood, Romero, O'Brien, Chopp, Kessler and Conway
Read first time 01/16/98. Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.
AN ACT Relating to employment policies to allow employees to attend school conferences and meetings and to volunteer; adding new sections to chapter 49.12 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that parents of children attending public schools need to be involved with their children's education and that flexibility in workplace leave and work schedules is important to encourage that involvement.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The definitions in this section apply throughout sections 3 and 4 of this act unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Employer" means any person, firm, corporation, partnership, business trust, legal representative, or other business entity which engages in any business, industry, profession, or activity in this state and employs one or more employees, any successor in interest of an employer, the state, any state institution, any state agency, political subdivisions of the state, and any municipal corporation or quasi-municipal corporation.
(2) "Parent" means the biological or adopted mother and father of a child, a guardian, or an individual who stands in loco parentis to a child.
(3) "School conference and meeting" means parent and teacher conferences and meetings, and other meetings and conferences with school staff including, but not limited to, meetings related to academic progress, discipline, or special education.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. Each employer and the governing board of each school district, in consultation with teachers, parents, guardians, and administrators, shall mutually develop and adopt a policy to provide paid leave equivalent to eight hours per calendar year to employees who are parents of children in public school in order that they may attend school conferences and meetings required by the school. The policy must at least include procedures for reasonable notification to the employer of the school conference or meeting, procedures for the use of paid leave, and procedures reasonably necessary to achieve the intent and purpose of this section and section 4 of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Each employer and the governing board of each school district, in consultation with teachers, parents, guardians, and administrators shall mutually develop and adopt a policy to provide leave equivalent to eight hours per calendar year to employees who wish to volunteer in a public school. The policy must at least include procedures for reasonable notification to the employer of the date, time, and length of the employee's volunteer activity, and procedures for the use of paid or unpaid leave, flexible work schedules, vacation leave, or sick leave, and procedures reasonably necessary to achieve the intent and purpose of this section and section 3 of this act. All volunteers shall comply with the provisions of RCW 43.43.830 through 43.43.840 relating to background checks.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Sections 2 through 4 of this act are each added to chapter 49.12 RCW.
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