2023 Oklahoma Statutes
Title 70. Schools
§70-6-104.8. Paid maternity leave.
A. 1. Full-time employees of a public school district in this state who have been employed by the school district for at least one year and have worked at least one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) hours during the preceding twelve-month period;
2. Persons employed full time as classroom instructional employees of technology center school districts supervised by the State Board of Career and Technology Education who have been employed by the technology center school district for at least one year and have worked at least one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) hours during the preceding twelve-month period;
3. Persons employed as teachers by the State Department of Rehabilitation Services who have been employed by the State Department of Rehabilitation Services for at least one year and have worked at least one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) hours during the preceding twelve-month period;
4. Persons employed full time as correctional teachers or vocational instructors by the Department of Corrections pursuant to Section 510.6a of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes who have been employed by a Department of Corrections facility for at least one year and have worked at least one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) hours during the preceding twelve-month period; and
5. Persons employed full time as teachers by the Office of Juvenile Affairs who have been employed by an Office of Juvenile Affairs facility for at least one year and have worked at least one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) hours during the preceding twelve-month period,
shall be entitled to six (6) weeks of paid maternity leave following the birth of the employee’s child. The six (6) weeks of paid maternity leave shall be used immediately following the birth of the school district employee’s child.
B. 1. Paid maternity leave provided pursuant to paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 of subsection A of this section shall be in addition to and not in place of sick leave due to pregnancy, as authorized by Section 6-104 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
2. Paid maternity leave provided pursuant to paragraph 4 of subsection A of this section shall be in addition to and not in place of sick leave due to pregnancy, as authorized by Section 510.6a of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
3. Paid maternity leave provided pursuant to paragraph 5 of subsection A of this section shall be in addition to and not in place of sick leave due to pregnancy, as authorized by Section 2-7-202 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes.
C. An employee who takes maternity leave pursuant to the provisions of subsection A of this section shall not be deprived of any compensation or other benefits to which the employee is otherwise entitled.
D. Each fiscal year, the Legislature shall appropriate adequate funding to the Public School Paid Maternity Leave Revolving Fund created in Section 7 of this act for the purpose of providing paid maternity leave to eligible school district employees pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection A of this section. If the Legislature does not appropriate adequate funding specifically for the purpose of providing paid maternity leave to school district employees, the State Board of Education shall allocate from the funds appropriated to the State Board of Education for the support of public school activities an amount to fully fund paid maternity leave.
E. The State Board of Education, the State Board of Career and Technology Education, the Commission for Rehabilitation Services, the State Board of Corrections, and the Board of Juvenile Affairs may promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section.
Added by Laws 2023, c. 291, § 1, eff. July 1, 2023.
