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Smith College is committed to supporting faculty members by providing
them with clear and reasonable options for managing their professional and parental responsibilities. The
college’s parental leave policy is built on two main tenets: first, that eligible members of the faculty
be entitled to an 8-week paid leave in the period surrounding the birth or adoption of a child, and that no
academic or administrative work be expected of them during this period; second, that faculty members be able
to take a standard parental leave and return to work without experiencing a loss of income during a year of
birth or adoption.
In formulating its parental leave policy, the college affirms for its faculty,
and indirectly for its students, a commitment to parents who seek to lead full professional, intellectual,
and personal lives. A primary goal of the policy is to allow both the faculty member and the college the opportunity
to maintain the integrity of the classroom and avoid placing undue burden on the individual or the department.
The college recognizes that no policy can anticipate all eventualities; therefore, the new policy leaves room
for faculty members, departments and the Provost/Dean of the Faculty to tailor certain aspects of parental
leaves to accommodate individual situations.
All provisions and applications of this proposed policy are meant to
be consistent with federal and state law and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Faculty members who have taught at the college for at least one year
in a continuing faculty position of half-time or more are eligible for paid parental leave. In accordance
with the college's medical and disability leave policies, additional medical leave will be granted if a birth
mother is certified by her physician to be medically disabled either before or after a parental leave.
Faculty members who have taught at the college for less than one year, teach
less than half-time, or hold a visiting or adjunct position, are not eligible for paid parental leave. Such
members may, however, qualify for unpaid maternity or adoption leave, as required by law (see “Compliance
with Federal and State Laws” below).
A faculty member who gives birth or is the primary caretaker parent
of an adoptive child under the age of 5 is eligible for 8 consecutive weeks of paid leave beginning on or
near the day the child is born or adopted. When the birth or adoption occurs such that the 8-week leave interrupts
a faculty member’s teaching, she or he will normally be excused from teaching during that entire semester.
During the portion of the semester not covered by the 8-week leave, the faculty
member shall return to non-teaching responsibilities. The precise nature of these responsibilities and any
other necessary arrangements associated with the leave must be arranged between the individual, the department
chair or program director, and the Provost/Dean of the Faculty. The Provost/Dean of the Faculty will compensate
departments as necessary for courses not taught by members taking parental leaves.
If a member’s 8-week leave does not intersect the fall or spring semester – that
is, when a birth or adoption occurs between mid-May and early July – she or he is eligible for a paid
one-course release and is excused from administrative responsibilities during the subsequent fall semester. This will be considered the member's paid parental leave.
The teaching and administrative responsibilities for a year in which an eligible
part-time faculty member takes a parental leave will be arranged among the individual, the department chair
or program director, and the Provost/Dean of the Faculty.
Spouses or registered domestic partners of birth mothers or of a primary caretaker
adoptive parent are eligible for one week of paid leave.
Benefits: During the period of paid parental leave, the college
will continue to make its normal contribution to a faculty member’s benefits, which shall remain continuously
in effect.
Sabbatical Credit: The semester in which a faculty
member takes a paid parental leave will count in the accrual of sabbatical credit.
Part-time teaching: Birth mothers and adoptive parents
who are primary caregivers may be released from teaching one course each semester for up to two years following
a standard parental leave, at prorated salary and benefits, except that full benefits will be provided if
the part-time teaching occurs in the semester immediately following a paid parental leave. All semesters of
part-time teaching will accrue sabbatical credit at a part-time rate.
Unpaid leave: In addition to the paid leave described
above, spouses or registered domestic partners of birth mothers or of a primary caretaker adoptive parent
may request of the Provost/Dean of the Faculty a leave without pay or reduced teaching load at a prorated
salary during the year of a birth or adoption. The Provost/Dean of the Faculty will evaluate such a request
in consultation with the relevant department chair or program director. Faculty members will continue to be
eligible for benefits during a period of leave without pay or reduced teaching, but the college’s contribution
to benefits will be prorated. The accrual of sabbatical credit will be prorated as well to reflect the faculty
member’s actual teaching during this period.
Tenure track faculty members who become parents during the probationary period will automatically receive a one-year extension of the probationary period. Tenure track faculty members who wish to decline the extension will notify the Provost by March 1 in order to be considered for tenure in the fall of that calendar year.
Consistent with college policy, paid parental leave may not be used
for purposes of salaried services elsewhere.
A member of the faculty whose pregnancy or adoption is confirmed will
so inform her or his department chair or program director, and the chair/director will be responsible for
explaining parental leave options to the eligible member. The faculty member will then submit a Faculty Application
for Parental Leave to the department chair or program director, generally at least four months before the
intended leave, and the chair/director will send a copy of the application, along with supporting documentation,
to the Provost/Dean of Faculty. Birth mothers must also submit an Attending Physician's Statement directly
to the Provost/Dean of Faculty. The Provost/Dean of Faculty is responsible for reviewing and approving the
terms of all parental leaves.
Prior to returning to teaching, birth mothers must submit the Physician's Approval
to Return to Work.
The Provost/Dean of the Faculty will inform chairs of departments, directors
of programs, and new members of the faculty, on an annual basis, of the provisions of this policy.
The college complies with applicable federal and state laws pertaining
to maternity and adoption leave. State law requires employers to grant female employees up to 8 weeks of unpaid
maternity leave or adoption leave for a child under three years of age, provided that she provides required
notice of the departure date and intention to return to work. To be eligible for the mandated 8 weeks of unpaid
maternity or adoption leave, a faculty member must be employed at least half-time and must have been employed
for three months prior to the time of delivery. The college must also continue to pay its share of the individual's
benefit costs during such leave as long as the individual pays her share.
Federal law requires that pay for maternity be treated in the same manner as
the college's disability or medical leave provisions. Therefore, a physician's certification is required to
establish the beginning and the end of the period of disability due to maternity. A faculty member returning
from approved maternity leave will be returned to the position she held prior to the leave or to a comparable
position.
In accordance with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA),
the college provides eligible faculty and staff with up to 12 weeks of family and medical leave during any
12-month period. FMLA leave may be paid, unpaid, or a combination of paid and unpaid, depending on the circumstances
and as specified in the policy. FMLA leave runs concurrently with other college-sponsored leave plans. For
a complete description of the college’s FMLA policy, please call the Office of Human Resources
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