Approximately 1 month before you need paternity leave (or as soon as possible when your leave begins), you must contact the Benefits Department – (469)752-8138 or benefits@pisd.edu. We will help you with the paternity leave process.

If both parents are PISD employees and both are eligible for FML, the time off for bonding is limited to a combined total of 12 weeks and runs concurrently with any other leave. Please contact us for assistance in determining the dates of your leave.

You will need to provide a doctor’s note stating the date the baby was born. The paternity leave packet will contain additional forms you need to submit after your paternity leave begins.

You may report up the absences as "family illness" or “state personal leave”, depending on which type of leave you plan to use. If you are eligible for additional time off under FML, those additional absences must be recorded as “unpaid leave”.

If you do not receive a paycheck or if your paycheck is insufficient to make the premium deductions, you will receive an invoice for any premiums which are due. You will have 30 days in which to make payment. If payment is not received by the due date stated on the invoice, your health plan benefits will be cancelled. If your medical, dental, or vision benefits are cancelled while you are on FML, you may request to reinstate the coverage and resume premium payments when you return to work after your FML.

No, you may not perform any job duties on campus or at home while on paternity leave, nor can your supervisor require you to do so. This might include grading papers, preparing lesson plans, supervising classes or athletic events, attending PDH training or parent/teacher conferences, and other job duties. When your leave is foreseeable, your campus may require you to make advance lesson plans or other preparations to be used during your absence.

We encourage you to decide ahead of time which medical plan will cover the baby, because it's important to provide the correct insurance information to the hospital. If the hospital sends claims to the wrong insurance company, it can cause unnecessary difficulties with getting your claims paid.

If you decide to add the baby to your TRS-ActiveCare medical plan, please contact the PISD benefits department as soon as possible after the birth (no need to wait for the baby's SS#), to request the Change Form.  The Change Form must be signed and returned to our office within 31 days after the date of birth.  Change forms submitted after the 31-day enrollment window will be denied.

Yes. If your wife is enrolled in a TRS-ActiveCare BCBS medical plan, she can access the BCBS Women's and Family Health benefits.  To learn more, please call a Personal Health Guide at 1-866-355-5999.