PALM BEACH COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT EXPANDS BENEFITS FOR NONTRADITIONAL FAMILIEs

(West Palm Beach, Florida)  The Palm Beach County School Board unanimously voted this evening to move forward with a policy allowing school district employees with domestic partners to take the same family and medical leave granted to opposite-sex, married employees under federal law.  Final approval is expected to occur before year’s end.The action was taken at the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The Council has been the leading advocate in Florida for domestic partnership since 1992, when the City of West Palm Beach became the state’s first public employer to provide basic domestic partnership benefits.”Today’s unanimous vote demonstrates that the Palm Beach County School Board recognizes that all school district employees and their families are entitled to equal benefits,” said Council President Rand Hoch.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows opposite-sex, married employees to take up to 12 weeks unpaid, job-protected leave to care for spouses with medical issues. However, FMLA does not recognize families based on domestic partnerships, civil unions or same-sex marriages.

“FMLA is clearly discriminatory,” said Hoch. “Despite America’s growing acceptance of marriage equality, domestic partnerships and civil unions, Congress is slow to enact laws recognizing that gay men and lesbians form families.”

The policy adopted by the School Board extends family and medical leave coverage to school district employees who have registered their domestic partners.

According to statistics maintained by the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, approximately 125 school district employees have registered their domestic partnerships.
The school district employs more than 21,000 workers, making it Palm Beach County’s largest public employer.

The School District of Palm Beach County prohibits discrimination based on both “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” and has offered domestic partner health insurance benefits since 2005.

“Perhaps one day, the state of Florida and the federal government will end their discrimination against non-traditional families,” said Hoch. “Until that day comes, it is incumbent upon local officials to take action to protect all employees and all families.”