Family Friendly Schools Act
Bill: H.R.1418 | Sponsor: Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. (D-NY)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Family Friendly Schools Act
This bill establishes a pilot program to implement policies at elementary schools that align the school day with the work day. It also establishes a grant program as a supplement to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to support programs and activities during summer recess.
Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award five-year grants to local educational agencies for establishing policies at 500 elementary schools that align the school day with the work day. ED must report to Congress at the three-year mark and at the conclusion of the five-year grant period on best practices and recommendations for aligning school and work schedules, and for strengthening partnerships between schools and community resources.
In addition, the bill requires ED to carry out a supplemental grant program to establish or expand community learning center summer programs.

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 
  programs and activities during summer recess when school is not in 
                                session.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Family Friendly Schools Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Schools are shut down for an average of 29 days 
        throughout the school year, which is 2 weeks longer than the 
        typical American with paid leave has in paid holidays and 
        vacation.
            (2) Moreover, 39 percent of all workers, and 80 percent of 
        low-wage workers, lack access to any paid vacation time.
            (3) Most schools close at or around 3 p.m., 2 hours short 
        of the standard full-time work day.
            (4) Fewer than \1/2\ of elementary schools and fewer than 
        \1/3\ of low-income schools offer before and afterschool care.
            (5) In communities across the Nation, 1 in 5 school-aged 
        children were unsupervised after school.
            (6) In 2014, parents of approximately 19,400,000 children 
        who were not in an afterschool program said that their children 
        would participate if a program were available.
            (7) If families pay out of pocket for child care to cover 
        the excess school closure days and the hours between 3 p.m. and 
        5 p.m., it would cost an average of $6,600 per year, or 9 
        percent of an average family's income.
            (8) Moreover, 73 percent of families report some difficulty 
        in finding summer care.
            (9) Many working parents are forced to make job-related 
        changes during the summer. In 57 percent of families, at least 
        one parent makes a change to their job that is likely to result 
        in a smaller paycheck, and in nearly \1/3\ of families, both 
        parents make a job sacrifice.
            (10) The misalignment of school and work schedules creates 
        a significant strain on working parents and guardians, 
        particularly mothers and Black, Latino, low-income, and single 
        working parents, and those with irregular schedules.
            (11) Misaligned school schedules cost the United States 
        economy $55,000,000,000 in lost productivity annually.
            (12) 1,000,000 women with elementary school-aged children 
        work less than full time because of their caregiving 
        responsibilities.
            (13) More than 8 in 10 parents of children in afterschool 
        programs agree that afterschool programs help working parents 
        keep their jobs.
            (14) More than half of families report a desire for their 
        child to participate in a summer learning program.
            (15) Aligning school and work schedules is both an economic 
        growth and child development strategy.

SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR FAMILY FRIENDLY SCHOOLS.

    Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

                   ``PART G--FAMILY FRIENDLY SCHOOLS

``SEC. 4701. GRANT PROGRAM FOR FAMILY FRIENDLY SCHOOLS.

    ``(a) Authorization.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants to 
        eligible entities to enable the establishment of `Family 
        Friendly School' policies at a total of 500 elementary schools 
        that align the school day with the work day to better support 
        working families.
            ``(2) Duration.--Each grant awarded under this section 
        shall be for a 5-year period.
            ``(3) Amount.--Each grant awarded under this section shall 
        be in an amount that is not more than $5,000,000 for the grant 
        period for each elementary school at which Family Friendly 
        School policies are established by the eligible entity. In 
        determining the grant amount, the Secretary shall consider the 
        number of students served.
            ``(4) Matching requirement.--As a condition of receiving a 
        grant under this section, an eligible entity shall provide, 
        from non-Federal sources, matching funds in an amount equal to 
        not less than 10 percent of the cost of establishing Family 
        Friendly School policies under this section. A parent copayment 
        or fee collected by the eligible entity shall not qualify as 
        matching funds.
    ``(b) Eligible Entities.--In this section, the term `eligible 
entity' means--
            ``(1) a local educational agency--
                    ``(A) that serves schools receiving assistance 
                under part A of title I; and
                    ``(B) that--
                            ``(i) has not reduced the instructional 
                        time or number of instructional days for 
                        elementary schools at any point during the 4-
                        year period preceding the date of the 
                        application for a grant under this section; or
                            ``(ii) has reduced the instructional time 
                        or number of instructional days for elementary 
                        schools at any point during the 4-year period 
                        preceding the date of the application for a 
                        grant under this section but pledges--
                                    ``(I) to reverse the reduction 
                                without the use of Federal funds; and
                                    ``(II) to return any Federal funds 
                                received under this section if the 
                                local educational agency does not 
                                reverse the reduction without the use 
                                of Federal funds not later than 1 year 
                                after the date of receipt of the 
                                Federal funds; or
            ``(2) a local educational agency described in paragraph (1) 
        in partnership with a nonprofit or community-based organization 
        with a demonstrated record of providing high-quality enrichment 
        activities for children.
    ``(c) Application.--An eligible entity that desires to receive a 
grant under this section shall submit an application at such time, in 
such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 
require, including--
            ``(1) the number of elementary schools at which the 
        eligible entity desires to establish Family Friendly School 
        policies;
            ``(2) how such elementary schools will align with other 
        schools and local educational agencies in the same geographic 
        area in ways that support working families with children in 
        different schools; and
            ``(3) how such elementary schools will make necessary 
        adjustments to transportation to serve students attending such 
        schools, including students with disabilities.
    ``(d) Award of Grants.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that--
            ``(1) serve schools that have been identified by the local 
        educational agency in the eligible entity to have the greatest 
        need for aligning the school day with the work day to better 
        support working families (such as through a survey of parents 
        in the district to identify which schools have the most single 
        parents who work outside the home, families with 2 working 
        parents, or parents working irregular schedules); and
            ``(2) propose--
                    ``(A) to restructure and expand the school day to 
                better meet the needs of working families, students, 
                and teachers rather than adding on to the existing, 
                unchanged school schedule; and
                    ``(B) to leverage community resources, such as 
                nonprofit or government programs for children or 
                interested stakeholders in the community, to provide 
                academic, athletic, or enrichment activities during the 
                additional school hours.
    ``(e) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) Planning.--An eligible entity that receives a grant 
        under this section shall spend the first year of the grant 
        planning and consulting with teachers, parents, students, and 
        community organizations about how best to design and implement 
        the Family Friendly School policies. Such first year grant 
        period shall include a needs and assets assessment that 
        identifies the academic, nonacademic, physical and mental 
        health, and other needs that would be most helpful in 
        supporting working families as they seek to maintain employment 
        while supporting their children's development.
            ``(2) Establishment of family friendly school policies.--An 
        eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall 
        establish, after the first year of the grant period, Family 
        Friendly School policies at an elementary school in accordance 
        with the following:
                    ``(A) If the eligible entity serves both schools 
                that receive assistance under part A of title I and 
                schools that do not receive assistance under such part, 
                the eligible entity shall first serve, with funds 
                provided under the grant, schools that receive 
                assistance under such part.
                    ``(B) An elementary school at which Family Friendly 
                School policies are established shall not increase the 
                amount of time teachers, paraprofessionals, and other 
                school staff have to work unless they volunteer to work 
                additional hours, which additional hours shall be 
                compensated at no less than the rate the teachers, 
                paraprofessionals, and other school staff earn for 
                regular school hours.
                    ``(C) An elementary school at which Family Friendly 
                School policies are established shall collaborate with 
                community partners to develop high-quality, culturally 
                relevant, linguistically accessible, developmentally 
                appropriate academic, athletic, extracurricular, 
                enrichment, or community-based learning opportunities, 
                for students from at least 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (or 
                different hours if determined appropriate due to the 
                needs of the community) Monday through Friday during 
                the school year.
                    ``(D) An elementary school at which Family Friendly 
                School policies are established shall not close 
                throughout the school year, except on Federal holidays, 
                weekends, and during weather emergencies and other 
                emergencies that would make it a safety liability for 
                children to be at school. Specifically, each elementary 
                school at which Family Friendly School policies are 
                established may not close for parent-teacher 
                conferences, professional development, or for any other 
                reason without offering full day enrichment activities 
                free of charge for students.
                    ``(E) An elementary school at which Family Friendly 
                School policies are established shall develop and 
                implement evidence-based policies and practices for 
                parent and family engagement to support working 
                families and help better align school and work 
                schedules, which shall include at least one of the 
                following activities:
                            ``(i) Providing one or more of the parent 
                        and family engagement activities permitted 
                        under this Act.
                            ``(ii) Providing assistance to families to 
                        leverage existing programs that support working 
                        families, such as programs under the Child Care 
                        and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 
                        U.S.C. 9858 et seq.), the program of block 
                        grants to States for temporary assistance for 
                        needy families under part A of title IV of the 
                        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), 
                        the Medicaid program under title XIX of the 
                        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), 
                        and the supplemental nutrition assistance 
                        program under the Food and Nutrition Act of 
                        2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).
                            ``(iii) Making school buildings available 
                        for programs that serve parents, students, and 
                        families when school is not in session.
                            ``(iv) Hosting parent-teacher conferences 
                        and other school events in the evening, or at 
                        times that are convenient for parents who work 
                        outside the home, or using technology to speak 
                        with parents virtually.
                            ``(v) Engaging in any other activities and 
                        strategies appropriate and consistent with the 
                        school's parent and family engagement policies 
                        and practices, which may include consulting 
                        with parents, students, and community 
                        organizations to support collaborative 
                        leadership.
                    ``(F) An elementary school at which Family Friendly 
                School policies are established shall annually survey 
                parents, teachers, students, school administrators, and 
                community organizations throughout the 5-year grant 
                period to ask about their satisfaction with the 
                programs and activities funded through the grant.
            ``(3) Coordination activities.--An eligible entity that 
        receives a grant under this section may allocate not more than 
        2 percent of the grant funds to the local mayor or other head 
        of the locality to coordinate with the eligible entity, 
        parents, teachers, school administrators, local businesses, the 
        local workforce development board, and other community 
        organizations to strategize about how elementary schools at 
        which Family Friendly School policies are established will 
        align their calendar with other schools served by the eligible 
        entity and with other schools in the same geographic region in 
        ways that support working families with children in different 
        schools.
    ``(f) Report and Evaluation.--
            ``(1) In general.--At the 3-year mark in the grant period 
        and at the conclusion of the 5-year grant period, the Secretary 
        shall report to Congress on--
                    ``(A) approaches taken by the elementary schools at 
                which Family Friendly School policies are established 
                to align school and work schedules, including district-
                level changes or supports provided to schools to assist 
                these efforts;
                    ``(B) survey results on parent, teacher, student, 
                school administrator, and community organization 
                satisfaction with elementary schools at which Family 
                Friendly School policies are established;
                    ``(C) where available, information about changes in 
                parental employment over the 5-year grant period for 
                each elementary school at which Family Friendly School 
                policies are established, which may include information 
                provided voluntarily by parents about--
                            ``(i) changes in parental employment rates 
                        by gender; and
                            ``(ii) changes in parental wages by gender;
                    ``(D) aggregate improvements in student engagement 
                and performance, such as improvements in grades, 
                standardized test scores, class participation, 
                classroom behavior, and attendance rates, including 
                rates of chronic absenteeism and tardiness, for each 
                elementary school at which Family Friendly School 
                policies are established;
                    ``(E) changes in overall teacher compensation and 
                retention rates over the grant period for each 
                elementary school at which Family Friendly School 
                policies are established;
                    ``(F) best practices and recommendations for 
                creating schools that better align school and work 
                schedules;
                    ``(G) best practices and recommendations for 
                communities to align school schedules and calendars 
                among all schools within a school district and with 
                schools in other school districts, and between schools 
                and businesses;
                    ``(H) best practices and recommendations for parent 
                and family engagement policies to support working 
                families and help better align school and work 
                schedules; and
                    ``(I) best practices and recommendations for 
                strengthening partnerships between schools and 
                community resources.
            ``(2) Disaggregation.--The information provided under 
        paragraph (1) shall be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and 
        income, where appropriate.
            ``(3) Privacy.--The Secretary shall collect and disseminate 
        information under this subsection in a manner that protects the 
        privacy of individuals.
    ``(g) Supplement, Not Supplant.--An eligible entity that receives a 
grant under this section shall use the grant funds to supplement, and 
not supplant, other funds available to carry out the activities 
described in this section.
    ``(h) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to alter, diminish, or otherwise affect the rights, remedies, 
and procedures afforded to individuals employed by schools or local 
educational agencies.''.

SEC. 4. SUPPLEMENTAL 21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS GRANT 
              PROGRAM.

    Part B of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7171 et seq.) is amended by striking section 4206 and 
inserting the following:

``SEC. 4206. SUPPLEMENTAL GRANTS FOR SUMMER PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) In General.--From amounts appropriated under section 4207(b), 
the Secretary shall carry out a supplemental grant program under this 
part, through which grants shall be allotted to States in accordance 
with section 4202 (except that section 4202(a)(1) shall not apply).
    ``(b) Terms, Conditions, Requirements.--The terms, conditions, and 
requirements of this part shall apply to supplemental grants awarded 
under this section (including requirements relating to the State use of 
funds, State application and approval process, the local competitive 
subgrant program, and local activities), except that funds awarded to 
eligible entities for community learning centers under this section 
shall be awarded for community learning centers that propose--
            ``(1) to establish or expand programs and activities 
        carried out during summer recess when school is not in session; 
        or
            ``(2) to establish or expand programs and activities--
                    ``(A) carried out during summer recess when school 
                is not in session; and
                    ``(B) carried out during afterschool hours.

``SEC. 4207. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this part (other than section 4206) $1,300,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2021 through 2025.
    ``(b) Supplemental Grants for Summer Programs.--There are 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 4206 $1,300,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.''.

SEC. 5. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    Section 4202 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7172) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding paragraph 
        (1), by striking ``section 4206'' and inserting ``section 
        4207(a)''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``section 4206'' and 
        inserting ``section 4207(a)''.
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