Daviess County and Owensboro Public Schools are implementing new parental leave policies that will significantly expand paid leave available to employees following the birth or adoption of a child.
The DCPS Board of Education approved its policy on Thursday, while OPS board members received a first reading of an identical proposal for their district. OPS is expected to consider final approval at its July meeting. Both policies will take effect on July 1, 2026.
Under both policies, classified and certified employees who give birth would receive up to 30 paid workdays of parental leave during the 42 calendar days immediately following childbirth. The leave would be provided before employees are required to use accumulated sick, personal, or emergency leave.
Both districts are also providing up to 10 paid workdays of parental leave for employees who adopt or become legal guardians of a newborn child, with the leave to be used within 14 calendar days of the birth or placement.
During Tuesday’s DCPS work session, board chair Tom Payne argued that the original five-day proposal did not provide enough time for adoptive families.
“I would suggest there is a glaring inequity under the adoption leave,” Payne said. “Five days is a little bit insulting, I think, for parents who wish to adopt.”
Board member Trey Pippin also supported the increase, saying the policy helps recognize the importance of family and addresses a long-standing imbalance for employees who previously had to use sick leave following childbirth.
“This stuff matters,” Pippin said. “It is important for us, as a district, not to just say that the kids in our classrooms who belong to other people matter. They do, but it also matters to our educators that they get to have investments in their own families with their own kids.”
OPS Superintendent Wendy Duvall noted that the proposed policy will provide equal benefits for certified and classified employees.
“We value everyone who will get equal treatment as far as the parental leave is concerned,” Duvall said.
OPS Director of Public Relations Jared Revlett said the policy represents a significant benefit for employees and their families.
“It’s a huge benefit for our staff to not have to use their sick days for the birth of a child or the adoption of a child,” Revlett said. “It gives families time to bond with their newborn, get settled in on the chaos that comes with having a kid, and be able to sort through those first couple weeks of being a new parent.”
