Expecting paid parental leave: When you’re an adoptive parent and ineligible for leave
Sharon Levanoni, a guidance counselor at a Manhattan elementary school, knew the routine and so stockpiled her sick days after the birth of her son, Alex, in preparation for a second child that this time they would adopt. She thought she had saved enough sick days under the antiquated Department of Education system to take a maternity leave. But when she said she wanted to take time to be with her adopted baby, she and her husband, Eugene, were stunned when she was told no.
“The rules now are that you can’t take time if you are adopting — not even using your own sick days. We adopted Annika when she was five weeks old. I ended up taking 20 days off unpaid, and then going back to work. My mom stayed for a month, and then someone I barely knew came to watch my baby. We are in 2018. We should have paid parental leave — and it should cover adoption.”
Tell Mayor de Blasio that he needs to make good on his promise for paid parental leave for city employees.
