(a) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, during each school year, a person employed in a position requiring certification qualifications may use his or her sick leave for purposes of parental leave for a period of up to 12 workweeks.

(2) In school districts that use the differential pay system described in Section 44977, when a person employed in a position requiring certification qualifications has exhausted all available sick leave, including all accumulated sick leave, and continues to be absent from his or her duties on account of parental leave pursuant to Section 12945.2 of the Government Code, the amount deducted from the salary due him or her for any of the remaining portion of the 12-workweek period in which the absence occurs shall not exceed the sum that is actually paid a substitute employee employed to fill his or her position during his or her absence or, if no substitute employee was employed, the amount that would have been paid to a substitute had he or she been employed. The school district shall make every reasonable effort to secure the services of a substitute employee.

(3) In school districts that use the differential pay system described in Section 44983, when a person employed in a position requiring certification qualifications has exhausted all available sick leave, including all accumulated sick leave, and continues to be absent from his or her duties on account of parental leave pursuant to Section 12945.2 of the Government Code, the person shall be compensated at no less than 50 percent of his or her regular salary for the remaining portion of the 12-workweek period of parental leave.

(4) Regardless of the type of differential pay system used by the school district pursuant to paragraphs (2) and (3), the compensation a person employed in a position requiring certification qualifications shall receive shall be no less than 50 percent of his or her regular salary for the remaining portion of the 12-workweek period of parental leave.

(b) For purposes of subdivision (a), all of the following apply:

(1) The 12-workweek period shall be reduced by any period of sick leave, including accumulated sick leave, taken during a period of parental leave.

(2) A person employed in a position requiring certification qualifications shall not be provided more than one 12-week period for parental leave during any 12-month period.

(3) Parental leave taken pursuant to this section shall run concurrently with parental leave taken pursuant to Section 12945.2 of the Government Code. The aggregate amount of parental leave taken pursuant to this section and Section 12945.2 of the Government Code shall not exceed 12 workweeks in a 12-month period.

(c) This section shall be applicable whether or not the absence from duty is by reason of a leave of absence granted by the governing board of the employing school district.

(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 12945.2 of the Government Code, a person employed in a position requiring certification qualifications is not required to have 1,250 hours of service with the employer during the previous 12-month period in order to take parental leave pursuant to this section.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to diminish the obligation of a public school employer to comply with any collective bargaining agreement entered into by a public school employer and an exclusive bargaining representative pursuant to Chapter 10.7 (commencing with Section 3540) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code that provides greater parental leave rights to employees than the rights established under this section.

(f) For purposes of this section, “parental leave” means leave for reason of the birth of a child of the employee, or the placement of a child with an employee in connection with the adoption or foster care of the child by the employee.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 994, Sec. 1. (AB 2012) Effective January 1, 2019.)