Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has signed SB 157 into law, an important first step towards providing educators across the state with dedicated paid parental leave to care for a new child. SB 157, which passed the Louisiana state legislature with strong bipartisan support, creates a framework for a 6-week paid parental leave policy for public and charter school employees. Despite this progress, the program still must be funded in order for educators to receive paid parental leave.
The following is a statement from Feroza Freeland, Policy Director of the Southern Office at A Better Balance:
“Teachers care for other people’s children every day, and should not be forced to sacrifice their own families’ health or economic security when welcoming a new child. We are thrilled that Louisiana has taken this important first step towards ensuring that hardworking educators have the support they need when growing their families. However, the job is not finished. We will continue to advocate alongside Louisiana teachers and community leaders until this much-needed policy is fully funded and accessible to all Louisiana teachers.
As steering committee members of the Louisiana Time to Care Coalition, A Better Balance was proud to help draft this legislation with the bill sponsor and support its passage alongside our coalition partners, including Louisiana Public Health Institute, Invest in Louisiana, and the American Heart Association. We thank Senator Sam Jenkins for championing this important piece of legislation.”
Over 400 teachers from across the state signed our letter in support of SB 157, demonstrating the massive need for greater support for new parents in their field. Erika Musgrove, a special education teacher in East Baton Rouge, shared with fellow coalition members Louisiana Public Health Institute: “I care for children every day. I believe deeply in what I do. But when I had my own child, the system did not care for me the same way. My school district, like many in Louisiana, does not offer fully paid parental leave. That meant the 12 weeks I spent at home with my son cost me more than $4,000 in lost wages. Even under the current system, which allows teachers to take extended sick leave at partial pay, the financial hit was burdensome.”