Faculty Parental Leave
1. Purpose
This policy references and defines the parental leave available specifically to faculty personnel and is subject to change. Leaves that apply to Brigham Young University–Hawaii ("BYU–Hawaii" or "university") personnel, in general, are defined in the Administrative and Staff Employee Leaves.
2. Policy
Parental leave accommodates eligible, full-time faculty while minimizing the impact on students, colleagues, and departments. When a full-time faculty member who has continuing faculty status (CFS), or is on-track for CFS, becomes the parent of a child—either by childbirth or by adoption of a child as defined by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)—that faculty member will usually qualify for a parental leave of one semester for the purpose of temporarily reallocating time from formal university activities to providing for the spiritual, emotional, and physical health of the family. The intent of parental leave is that the faculty member will invest the time released from university responsibilities to focus on the care and wellbeing of the family.
3. Implementations
3.1 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) During Parental Leaves
Parental leave is intended to be consistent with the rights afforded under the FMLA. (See Administrative and Staff Employee Leave policy.) If the faculty member is FMLA eligible, then any qualifying FMLA leave time shall be administered concurrently with parental and personal leaves.
3.2 Multiple Births/Adoptions
Multiple births (e.g., twins, triplets) or simultaneous adoption of multiple children shall count as one event. This means an eligible faculty member is entitled to only one semester of approved parental leave for such an event.
3.3 Salary, Benefits, and Responsibilities During Parental Leaves
A faculty member who takes parental leave shall receive the same salary and benefits that would have been received if not on parental leave. During parental leave, faculty members shall be relieved of their normal faculty duties and responsibilities.
3.4 Timing of Parental Leaves
With approval, a faculty member may take parental leave during the semester in which the child is born or adopted or during a subsequent semester that begins no later than six months after the birth or adoption. For purposes of this policy, a semester is defined as follows: fall semester (September–December); winter semester (January–April); spring semester (April–June). Faculty members are expected to return to their normal faculty duties and responsibilities for at least one year immediately following parental leave or repay the salary and benefits used during the leave. Generally, at least one year should pass from the end date of the last parental leave before an eligible faculty member qualifies for another parental leave.
3.5 Effect on CFS Clock of Parental Leaves
The presumption is that a parental leave will result in a one-year extension of the CFS clock. (See BYU–Hawaii Hiring, Rank, Status Policy) However, a faculty member may opt out of this one-year extension by giving written notice to the faculty dean, and associate academic vice president – faculty no later than February 1 of the calendar year in which the CFS review would begin. The maximum number of extensions to the CFS clock for parental leaves is two within the pre-CFS period. An additional extension for other reasons may be possible under section 4 of the BYU–Hawaii Hiring, Rank, Status Policy.
3.6 Requests for Parental Leaves
Eligible faculty members desiring a parental leave must submit the request, dated and signed, to their faculty dean. When approved, the dean forwards the request to the associate academic vice president – faculty. Approval for a parental leave includes the following:
- Certification that the purpose of the parental leave is for the faculty member to focus on and provide for the spiritual, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing of the family
- Certification that parental leave will not be used for other purposes (e.g., to pursue other employment opportunities, to work full- or part-time for another employer)
- Confirmation of the anticipated start and end dates of the parental leave
- Concurrent use of FMLA with parental leave
- A commitment to return to normal faculty duties and responsibilities for at least one year immediately following parental leave, or to repay the salary and benefits used during the leave
- Other conditions mutually agreed upon by the faculty member and the faculty dean
3.7 Notification Requirement for Parental Leaves
To minimize the administrative burden of ensuring adequate coverage of responsibilities, eligible faculty members should give their faculty dean at least three months’ written notice of their intention to take parental leave. If notification is less than three months, the request will be evaluated based on the program’s ability to reasonably facilitate such a request. Medical emergencies or the uncertainties of adoption that prevent the giving of three months’ written notice will not disqualify an eligible faculty member from parental leave.
3.8 Availability of University Resources During Parental Leaves
When a parental leave would create an unavoidable overload for one or more faculty colleagues, the faculty dean may consider hiring additional temporary faculty to teach one or more courses or teaching loads may be reassigned among program faculty. When appropriate, the faculty dean may request assistance from the associate vice president –faculty, who may appeal to the academic vice president for additional resources.
3.9 CES Honor Code, Dress and Grooming Standards, and Conduct During Leaves
A faculty member on leave remains an employee of Brigham Young University–Hawaii. Therefore, it is a condition of employment that the faculty member act in accordance with university policies and the CES Honor Code, including the Employee Dress and Grooming Standards, and refrain from behavior or expression that seriously and adversely affects the university mission or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("Church"). Latter-day saint faculty also continue to accept as a condition of employment the standards of conduct consistent with qualifying for temple privileges. All faculty are expected to be role models of a life that combines the quest for intellectual rigor with spiritual values and personal integrity and to conduct their work in a professional manner consistent with the values espoused by the university and the Church. The university regularly contacts ecclesiastical leaders concerning the temple eligibility of all latter-day saint personnel.