If Fail Sol for Online Tuittion Free Homeschooling How Do You Get Credit for Sol Again

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Welcome to Parent vs. Pandemic, a Parade.com series for parents who are navigating uncharted territory during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parade.com launched Parent vs. Pandemic as a w ay for concerned parents to get the solutions and help they need as they navigate tough choices—from pod planning to virtual learning. Here, we explore a trending question right now: Should parents get paid for homeschooling?

Working parents have struggled to juggle their jobs and schooling for their children since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. And it's been stressful—really stressful. Results of a survey released by the American Psychological Association (APA) in May found that 70% of employed adults say that work is a "significant" source of stress in their lives and—no shocker here— 71% of parents said managing online learning for their children is a significant source of stress.

While parents across the country got a reprieve during the summer months, schools are now reopening. That raises a major question: Can you get paid leave when you homeschool your child? You're not the only parent wondering this: It's a trending search right now on Google.

Like many other things around work, remote learning, and navigating life under a global pandemic, the answer is "it depends." "There is going to be an enormous amount of confusion about how everybody should handle this," says Larry Stuart, an employment lawyer in the Houston-based law firm Stuart PC and an adjunct professor at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. "We're getting a ton of calls from clients about it."

Related: Micro-Schools and Learning Pods Are On the Rise—Here's What You Need to Know

"We know that the Department of Labor is aware of the challenges employers and families face as schools re-open in the fall," says human resources expert Lisa Frydenlund, knowledge advisor at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). "We hope to receive additional guidance from the Department of Labor soon."

There are some laws in place that can help, though. Here's what you need to know about getting paid leave while you homeschool your children, plus how you may be able to get at least part of your salary in the process.

What does the law currently say?

On April 1, the U.S. government put into place the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), legislation that is designed to help both employers and employees navigate issues around work in the age of COVID-19. The FFCRA mandated that private employers with 500 or less employees be eligible for paid leave based on specific reasons related to COVID-19. In return, those employers "are eligible for tax credits—employers get the money back for paid leave," says Vanessa Coe, managing attorney at Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.

The law specifically states that employees may take paid leave relating to school under the following circumstances:

• Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at two-thirds the employee's regular rate of paybecause the employee is unable to work because of a "bona fide need" to care for a person who needs to quarantine or to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.
• Up to an additional 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leaveat two-thirds the employee's regular rate of pay where an employee, who has been employed for at least 30 days, is unable to work due to a need for leave to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.

Related: Here's Everything You Need to Know About the Homeschooling—From Real Parents Who Do It

What does this mean for parents, exactly?

If your company meets the qualifying criteria and your child's school is shut down because of a COVID-19 outbreak, parents "are legally guaranteed to get the requested time off, up to 12 weeks," says health care analyst Seth Denson, co-founder and chief strategist at GDP Advisors. "The likelihood here is 100% of having it granted. Will there be repercussions from your employer? By law, there shouldn't be, and if there are, you should contact your states' Department of Labor, or an employment law office, as you would have grounds for a case if denied."

The word "closed" to describe school is slightly confusing, but it's generally thought to include remote learning, Stuart says. Coe agrees. "It's not written specifically, but needing to homeschool or do virtual school for your kids should make you eligible," she says.

Related: Things to Do With Kids During Quarantine

Beyond that, things get a little tricky. "Everyone imagines that surely there must be some protections in place to deal with homeschooling kids because you're concerned about safety," Stuart says. "But 'I'm concerned about safety' isn't covered by the law."

In that situation, "that is an individual choice, and that would be up to the employee to negotiate some variance with their employer," Denson says.

Things can also be a little more complicated if you work for a company that has 40 or less employees, which aren't subject to the FFCRA. "In that situation, it's a negotiation with your employer to create a work schedule that works for you to manage your kids' education at home," says Edgar Ndjatou, executive director of the employee rights organization Workplace Fairness. Know this: Your employer will likely want to help you out. "There are many instances where very small employer are trying to work with employees," Ndjatou says. That may mean trying to get paid leave for a small period of time to try to get up your child up to speed on remote learning, followed by work hours that revolve around your child's educational need. "There is a way to do it if there is a willingness," Ndjatou says.

Whatever you do, experts recommend being honest with your employer.

Again, if your company meets the right criteria, you are guaranteed paid leave by law. Still, it's understandable that you might feel weird asking. "Talk to your employer and say, 'I feel like I'm unable to work right now because of the need to do virtual schooling with my kids,'" Coe says. "Always document your conversations because there is a cause of action for a lawsuit if you're denied this particular leave, even if you meet the qualifications."

Knowing your rights is also important, Coe says. She recommends looking on the Department of Labor's website and reading up on the law. "You can print it out and have it available if you get pushback," Coe says. "You can say, 'This is what I'm entitled to by law.' That's the most empowering way to navigate this."

Related: Winter Is Coming for Pandemic Parents—Here's How to Deal With the Impending Stress

If your request for paid leave isn't covered by law, experts say it's still OK to ask. "There is no reason to suffer in silence," Ndjatou says, noting that your boss may be more willing to work with you if they understand the reality of your situation. Ndjatou says he recently spoke to a supervisor who told the story of needing to fire someone due to low productivity, only to later learn that it was due to the employee needing to oversee their child's remote learning. "She said, 'I wish I had known,'" Ndjatou says.

Many employers are "trying to be creative" with this by looking at alternative schedules, more flexibility around start and stop times, extending remote work options, and enhancing existing paid leave policies, Frydenlund says. "Employers may also be able to provide more breaks to assist children with school work," she says. "Some employers are even creating leave sharing/donation programs that may assist parents in need of more time away."

Keep in mind, too, that your employer or supervisor may be going through a similar situation with their own family. "Even supervisors have the same problem," Ndjatou says. "It's a common shared issue. Speak up."

Trying to help your child with distance learning? Here's the best learning apps for kids.

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Source: https://parade.com/1080792/korinmiller/are-parents-getting-paid-for-homeschooling-coronavirus/

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