[co-author: Leah Shepherd]

Before the new school year starts, employers may want to note that some states require employers to provide time off for employees to attend teacher conferences, back-to-school nights, or other school meetings. Instead of sending a note to the teacher, employees may need a note from the teacher.

Quick Hits

• Eleven states and Washington, D.C., require employers to give time off for parents to attend certain school activities for their children.
• Employees can take leave under the FMLA to attend a meeting about their child’s individualized education program (IEP).
• Employers could be liable if they allow software applications or GPS-enabled attendance trackers to penalize workers for taking legally protected leave.

California, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., have laws mandating time off for school activities.

These laws vary in scope and application, potentially making legal compliance complicated for multistate employers. For example, Rhode Island requires employers with at least fifty employees to provide eligible employees with ten hours of unpaid leave per year to attend school conferences or other school activities for their child, foster child, or legal ward. A new law in Indiana requires employers with at least one employee to provide unpaid leave for employees to attend an attendance conference or case conference for their child, foster...

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