The bill amends the law regarding paid maternity leave for public school employees in Arkansas. It establishes that employees of public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools are eligible for up to twelve weeks of paid maternity leave if they have been employed for at least one year, are female, and have not faced disciplinary action for leave abuse in the past year. The bill specifies that the leave can be used for the birth of a biological child, the placement of an adopted child under one year of age, or the foster placement of an infant under one year of age. Additionally, it clarifies that an employee cannot receive an additional twelve weeks of leave for adoption if they have already taken leave for the same child’s foster placement.

A significant change in the bill is the requirement that the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education will cover 100% of the incurred costs for approved paid maternity leave, replacing the previous cost-sharing model where both the state and the school district would each pay 50%. The bill mandates the creation of a standard agreement for these costs and outlines that the division will establish rules for managing the agreement, reimbursement processes, and other related procedures to ensure the effective implementation of the maternity leave policy.