Family Friendly Schools Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1418 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide grants to local educational agencies to establish ‘‘Family Friendly School’’ policies at 500 elementary schools that align the school day with the work day to better support working families and to disseminate the learnings from these model schools so that other local educational agencies may adopt these practices, and to establish a supplemental 21st century community learning centers grant program to support pro- grams and activities during summer recess when school is not in session. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 26, 2021 Mr. MORELLE (for himself and Mr. VELA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide grants to local educational agencies to establish ‘‘Family Friendly School’’ policies at 500 elementary schools that align the school day with the work day to better support working families and to dis- seminate the learnings from these model schools so that other local educational agencies may adopt these prac- tices, and to establish a supplemental 21st century com- munity learning centers grant program to support pro- grams and activities during summer recess when school is not in session. VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1418 IH Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family Friendly 4 Schools Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 (1) Schools are shut down for an average of 29 8 days throughout the school year, which is 2 weeks 9 longer than the typical American with paid leave has 10 in paid holidays and vacation. 11 (2) Moreover, 39 percent of all workers, and 80 12 percent of low-wage workers, lack access to any paid 13 vacation time. 14 (3) Most schools close at or around 3 p.m., 2 15 hours short of the standard full-time work day. 16 (4) Fewer than 1⁄2 of elementary schools and 17 fewer than 1⁄3 of low-income schools offer before and 18 afterschool care. 19 (5) In communities across the Nation, 1 in 5 20 school-aged children were unsupervised after school. 21 (6) In 2014, parents of approximately 22 19,400,000 children who were not in an afterschool 23 program said that their children would participate if 24 a program were available. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1418 IH (7) If families pay out of pocket for child care 1 to cover the excess school closure days and the hours 2 between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., it would cost an average 3 of $6,600 per year, or 9 percent of an average fam- 4 ily’s income. 5 (8) Moreover, 73 percent of families report 6 some difficulty in finding summer care. 7 (9) Many working parents are forced to make 8 job-related changes during the summer. In 57 per- 9 cent of families, at least one parent makes a change 10 to their job that is likely to result in a smaller pay- 11 check, and in nearly 1⁄3 of families, both parents 12 make a job sacrifice. 13 (10) The misalignment of school and work 14 schedules creates a significant strain on working 15 parents and guardians, particularly mothers and 16 Black, Latino, low-income, and single working par- 17 ents, and those with irregular schedules. 18 (11) Misaligned school schedules cost the 19 United States economy $55,000,000,000 in lost pro- 20 ductivity annually. 21 (12) 1,000,000 women with elementary school- 22 aged children work less than full time because of 23 their caregiving responsibilities. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1418 IH (13) More than 8 in 10 parents of children in 1 afterschool programs agree that afterschool pro- 2 grams help working parents keep their jobs. 3 (14) More than half of families report a desire 4 for their child to participate in a summer learning 5 program. 6 (15) Aligning school and work schedules is both 7 an economic growth and child development strategy. 8 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR FAMILY FRIENDLY 9 SCHOOLS. 10 Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education 11 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) is amended by add- 12 ing at the end the following: 13 ‘‘PART G—FAMILY FRIENDLY SCHOOLS 14 ‘‘SEC. 4701. GRANT PROGRAM FOR FAMILY FRIENDLY 15 SCHOOLS. 16 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.— 17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 18 grants to eligible entities to enable the establishment 19 of ‘Family Friendly School’ policies at a total of 500 20 elementary schools that align the school day with the 21 work day to better support working families. 22 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—Each grant awarded under 23 this section shall be for a 5-year period. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1418 IH ‘‘(3) AMOUNT.—Each grant awarded under this 1 section shall be in an amount that is not more than 2 $5,000,000 for the grant period for each elementary 3 school at which Family Friendly School policies are 4 established by the eligible entity. In determining the 5 grant amount, the Secretary shall consider the num- 6 ber of students served. 7 ‘‘(4) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—As a condi- 8 tion of receiving a grant under this section, an eligi- 9 ble entity shall provide, from non-Federal sources, 10 matching funds in an amount equal to not less than 11 10 percent of the cost of establishing Family Friend- 12 ly School policies under this section. A parent copay- 13 ment or fee collected by the eligible entity shall not 14 qualify as matching funds. 15 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In this section, the term 16 ‘eligible entity’ means— 17 ‘‘(1) a local educational agency— 18 ‘‘(A) that serves schools receiving assist- 19 ance under part A of title I; and 20 ‘‘(B) that— 21 ‘‘(i) has not reduced the instructional 22 time or number of instructional days for 23 elementary schools at any point during the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1418 IH 4-year period preceding the date of the ap- 1 plication for a grant under this section; or 2 ‘‘(ii) has reduced the instructional 3 time or number of instructional days for 4 elementary schools at any point during the 5 4-year period preceding the date of the ap- 6 plication for a grant under this section but 7 pledges— 8 ‘‘(I) to reverse the reduction 9 without the use of Federal funds; and 10 ‘‘(II) to return any Federal funds 11 received under this section if the local 12 educational agency does not reverse 13 the reduction without the use of Fed- 14 eral funds not later than 1 year after 15 the date of receipt of the Federal 16 funds; or 17 ‘‘(2) a local educational agency described in 18 paragraph (1) in partnership with a nonprofit or 19 community-based organization with a demonstrated 20 record of providing high-quality enrichment activities 21 for children. 22 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that desires to 23 receive a grant under this section shall submit an applica- 24 tion at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1418 IH such information as the Secretary may require, includ- 1 ing— 2 ‘‘(1) the number of elementary schools at which 3 the eligible entity desires to establish Family Friend- 4 ly School policies; 5 ‘‘(2) how such elementary schools will align 6 with other schools and local educational agencies in 7 the same geographic area in ways that support 8 working families with children in different schools; 9 and 10 ‘‘(3) how such elementary schools will make 11 necessary adjustments to transportation to serve 12 students attending such schools, including students 13 with disabilities. 14 ‘‘(d) AWARD OF GRANTS.—In awarding grants under 15 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible en- 16 tities that— 17 ‘‘(1) serve schools that have been identified by 18 the local educational agency in the eligible entity to 19 have the greatest need for aligning the school day 20 with the work day to better support working families 21 (such as through a survey of parents in the district 22 to identify which schools have the most single par- 23 ents who work outside the home, families with 2 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1418 IH working parents, or parents working irregular sched- 1 ules); and 2 ‘‘(2) propose— 3 ‘‘(A) to restructure and expand the school 4 day to better meet the needs of working fami- 5 lies, students, and teachers rather than adding 6 on to the existing, unchanged school schedule; 7 and 8 ‘‘(B) to leverage community resources, 9 such as nonprofit or government programs for 10 children or interested stakeholders in the com- 11 munity, to provide academic, athletic, or enrich- 12 ment activities during the additional school 13 hours. 14 ‘‘(e) USE OF FUNDS.— 15 ‘‘(1) PLANNING.—An eligible entity that re- 16 ceives a grant under this section shall spend the first 17 year of the grant planning and consulting with 18 teachers, parents, students, and community organi- 19 zations about how best to design and implement the 20 Family Friendly School policies. Such first year 21 grant period shall include a needs and assets assess- 22 ment that identifies the academic, nonacademic, 23 physical and mental health, and other needs that 24 would be most helpful in supporting working families 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 1418 IH as they seek to maintain employment while sup- 1 porting their children’s development. 2 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF FAMILY FRIENDLY 3 SCHOOL POLICIES.—An eligible entity that receives a 4 grant under this section shall establish, after the 5 first year of the grant period, Family Friendly 6 School policies at an elementary school in accord- 7 ance with the following: 8 ‘‘(A) If the eligible entity serves both 9 schools that receive assistance under part A of 10 title I and schools that do not receive assistance 11 under such part, the eligible entity shall first 12 serve, with funds provided under the grant, 13 schools that receive assistance under such part. 14 ‘‘(B) An elementary school at which Fam- 15 ily Friendly School policies are established shall 16 not increase the amount of time teachers, para- 17 professionals, and other school staff have to 18 work unless they volunteer to work additional 19 hours, which additional hours shall be com- 20 pensated at no less than the rate the teachers, 21 paraprofessionals, and other school staff earn 22 for regular school hours. 23 ‘‘(C) An elementary school at which Fam- 24 ily Friendly School policies are established shall 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 1418 IH collaborate with community partners to develop 1 high-quality, culturally relevant, linguistically 2 accessible, developmentally appropriate aca- 3 demic, athletic, extracurricular, enrichment, or 4 community-based learning opportunities, for 5 students from at least 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (or dif- 6 ferent hours if determined appropriate due to 7 the needs of the community) Monday through 8 Friday during the school year. 9 ‘‘(D) An elementary school at which Fam- 10 ily Friendly School policies are established shall 11 not close throughout the school year, except on 12 Federal holidays, weekends, and during weather 13 emergencies and other emergencies that would 14 make it a safety liability for children to be at 15 school. Specifically, each elementary school at 16 which Family Friendly School policies are es- 17 tablished may not close for parent-teacher con- 18 ferences, professional development, or for any 19 other reason without offering full day enrich- 20 ment activities free of charge for students. 21 ‘‘(E) An elementary school at which Fam- 22 ily Friendly School policies are established shall 23 develop and implement evidence-based policies 24 and practices for parent and family engagement 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 1418 IH to support working families and help better 1 align school and work schedules, which shall in- 2 clude at least one of the following activities: 3 ‘‘(i) Providing one or more of the par- 4 ent and family engagement activities per- 5 mitted under this Act. 6 ‘‘(ii) Providing assistance to families 7 to leverage existing programs that support 8 working families, such as programs under 9 the Child Care and Development Block 10 Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et 11 seq.), the program of block grants to 12 States for temporary assistance for needy 13 families under part A of title IV of the So- 14 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), 15 the Medicaid program under title XIX of 16 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et 17 seq.), and the supplemental nutrition as- 18 sistance program under the Food and Nu- 19 trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 20 seq.). 21 ‘‘(iii) Making school buildings avail- 22 able for programs that serve parents, stu- 23 dents, and families when school is not in 24 session. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:24 Apr 06, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1418.IH H1418 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 1418 IH ‘‘(iv) Hosting parent-teacher con- 1 ferences and other school events in the 2 evening, or at times that are convenient for 3 parents who work outside the home, or 4 using technology to speak with parents vir- 5 tually. 6 ‘‘(v) Engaging in any other activities 7 and strategies appropriate and consistent 8 with the school’s parent and family en- 9 gagement policies and practices, which may 10 include consulting with parents, students, 11 and community organizations to support 12 collaborative leadership. 13 ‘‘(F) An elementary school [Text truncated for display. 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