Hi guys,

My husband and I are expecting our first little one on May 21, 2020. This is perfect timing because school should be out for summer right around then, the exact date depends on how much snow we get. My district does not offer any paid leave. I will have to use up all of my vacation days, then they offer 6 weeks of unpaid maternity leave, then I can take 12 weeks of FMLA on top of that. I shouldn’t need that 6 weeks of unpaid leave because of when the baby is due, it’ll fall with our summer break.

I have been looking into the 12 weeks of FMLA I can get and would love to take it all when we go back in August. This would put me going back to work on October when baby is about 5 months old. My problem is, I have to work the first day of next year to get tenure. Can I work the 1st day with a dr note or something and still take that leave after the first day? I am going to contact HR again this week, so far they have been more confusing than helpful.

I want as much time with my baby as I get but I don’t want to risk my tenure because it has taken me 3 years to get to this point. Have any of you in the teaching profession dealt with this before?