DOL Denies Approved Leave for Families that Choose Remote Learning (September 13, 2020)

On August 27, 2020. the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) said in a guidance document that if a school offers both in-person and online learning options and a parent/guardian chooses the latter, the parent/guardian may not take paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). According to the DOL, FFCRA leave is not available to take care of a child whose school is open for in-person attendance. However, parents/guardians may use FFCRA leave on days when children are not permitted to attend school due to hybrid in-person and online arrangements, since children may be allowed to physically attend school only on their allotted in-person attendance days under such a model and schools are “effectively ‘closed'” to workers’ children on those remote learning days. For more information on this issue, visit EdDive by clicking here.