ASU Parental Leave Policy

Effective October 16, 2006

ASU recognizes that supporting employees as they balance career, childbirth, and family life ultimately benefits the university.   This paid parental leave policy regards family care concerns as legitimate and important.   One goal of this parental leave policy is to make it more feasible for employees to remain in active employment at ASU during the birth of an employee's child or placement of a child for adoption.

1. All benefits-eligible (50% FTE or more) ASU employees, including faculty, academic professionals, administrators , service professionals , and classified staff , who have been employed at ASU for at least 12-months and have worked at least 1,250 hours during the previous 12-months may request six weeks of paid leave for the purpose of recovery from childbirth and/or to care for and bond with a newborn or newly adopted child.

• This paid leave may be used by the birth mother, father, adoptive parents and domestic (same or opposite sex) partners.  
• This paid leave will not reduce an employee's balance of accrued time under any other university paid leave program (e.g., sick time, vacation).
• This paid leave will run concurrently with FMLA and is limited to a total of six-weeks per birth or adoption per family.
• Graduate research and teaching associates/assistants with .50 FTE appointments and postdoctoral scholars may receive six weeks of paid leave for purposes of recovering from childbirth.
• The 12-month waiting period is waived for tenured/tenure-track faculty and continuing/probationary academic professionals.
• The parental leave will coordinate benefits with any group disability income replacement benefit policy ( i.e., short term disability insurance), up to100 percent of base salary.
• If the employee fails to return to work after the expiration of this leave and/or any other authorized leave period (e.g., Family Leave, Extended Leave of Absence or Health-Related Leave) or returns to work but fails to remain for at least 30 days, the employee agrees to reimburse ASU the salary paid under this policy.    ASU will excuse reimbursement where the failure to return is due to the continuation, recurrence, or onset of a serious health condition of the employee or the child which would otherwise entitle the employee to leave under FMLA; or other circumstances beyond the employee's control.  

2. For tenure-track/tenured faculty, department chairs and deans are expected to accommodate requests for temporary assignment of alternative duties for a period of up to 12 weeks beyond the six-weeks of paid leave.   If this period ends during a semester, the temporary assignment of alternative duties will be further extended to the end of the academic semester in progress. Alternative duties should be designed to make it more feasible for the employee to remain on active full employment at the university following the birth of the employee's child or placement of a child for adoption.   Also, any reduction in teaching is not to be made up at a later date.

3. For faculty and academic professionals on probationary appointments, use of parental leave under this policy shall be considered good cause for extending the probationary period under ACD 506-03 and 507-05.

4. Use of these parental benefits shall not adversely affect the employee's standing or consideration for future salary adjustments in any manner.  

5. Sabbatical leaves are intended for professional development and may not be used for parental leave.

6. Postdoctoral scholars and graduate students with a .50 FTE research or teaching assistantship (RA/TA) appointment who have completed at least one academic year's service are eligible for up to 6 weeks of paid parental leave and will continue to receive their stipend and associated benefits (health insurance and tuition remission) during this six-week period.   The department is responsible for funding these costs.   The RA/TA must maintain a minimum enrollment of 6 credit hours during the term of paid leave.   Any portion of the 6 week period for recovery from childbirth that falls outside the appointment term will reduce the amount of available paid parental leave on a pro-rated basis.   The accommodation period does not include adoption or paternity leave.

7. Graduate students may submit a written request to their supervisor requesting an academic accommodation period for childbirth, allowing them to postpone university and departmental academic requirements and milestones for one semester while remaining enrolled.  

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