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AB-65 • 2026

School and community college employees: paid disability and parental leave.

School and community college employees: paid disability and parental leave.

Education Labor
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Aguiar-Curry
Last action
Official status
Senate - Appropriations
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The source material notes this is 'as introduced,' meaning final changes made before passage are not detailed.

Paid Leave for School and Community College Employees

This law requires public schools and community colleges to give up to 14 weeks of paid leave to employees who are absent due to pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from those conditions.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires school districts and community college districts to provide up to 14 weeks of a leave of absence with pay benefits for specific health reasons related to pregnancy or childbirth.
  • Allows the paid leave to start before birth and continue after if the employee is actually disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, or a related condition.
  • Prohibits employers from counting this time against other types of leave an employee may have earned.
  • Requires employers to keep group health insurance active at the same level during the entire leave period.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Certificated employees in public schools and community colleges.
  • Academic employees (faculty) in community college districts.
  • Classified service employees working for public school employers or community college districts.
  • Public school employers and governing boards of community college districts.

Terms To Know

Certificated employee
A teacher or staff member who holds a professional teaching certificate.
Classified service employee
Staff members in non-teaching roles, such as custodians, clerks, or bus drivers.
Academic employee
Faculty and staff who teach at a community college district.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The text does not specify the exact dollar amount of pay benefits provided during the leave.
  • The effective date for when this law begins is not listed in the source material.
  • The bill summary states 'as introduced,' so final changes made before passage are not detailed here.

Bill History

  1. California Legislative Information

    Senate - Appropriations

Official Summary Text

School and community college employees: paid disability and parental leave.