If you become ill for a pregnancy related condition, you may utilize your leave as you would for any normal circumstance (i.e. sick, personal, annual) and should contact the Office of Human Resources to inquire about next steps pertaining to your leave.
Contact the Leave and Retirement Office with your newborn’s date of birth and submit a copy of the verification of birth document.
Email documents to HRLeaveofAbsence@hcpss.org or fax documents to 410-680-3427.
To add your newborn to your health insurance, send verification of birth and a completed Benefits Change Form to the Benefits Office within 60 days of your child’s birth.
The Benefits Office can be contacted at 410-313-7333 or Benefits@hcpss.org.
Spouses employed by the same employer are limited in the amount of leave they may take for the birth and care of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care to a combined total of 12 work weeks (or 26 work weeks if leave to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness is also used). Leave for birth and care, or placement for adoption or foster care, must conclude within 12 months of birth or placement.
You may stop working on your own accord within one week of your expected due date. In order to stop working prior to that, you need to submit medical documentation from your physician stating the need to stop working.
If the baby is delivered early, the employee will need to contact Human Resources and submit the verification of birth and delivery type. If the baby is not delivered on the expected date and you continue to work, contact Human Resources.
Completed forms should be sent directly to the Howard County Public Schools, Office of Human Resources. They may be faxed to 410-680-3427 or scanned and email to hrleaveofabsence@hcpss.org. Doctors’ offices may also fax the completed form directly to the Human Resources Office.
Maternity/Paternity leave is paid for 12 work weeks using an employee's earned sick, unearned sick, earned personal or annual leave. Check with your bargaining unit to inquire about using sick bank.
Contact your employee group’s Sick Leave Bank administrator:
AFSCME - 410-313-7050 (Jackie West)
HCASA - sharonkramer2010@gmail.com
Maternity Leave – The estimated due date for the baby is used as the start date. The end date would be the last day of your leave before you plan on returning to work.
FMLA permits “a spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin” to take up to 26 work weeks of leave to care for a “member of the Armed forces, including a member of the National Guard of Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, or is otherwise in an outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list for a serious injury or illness.
