legality issues on maternity leave

[Tara]

I am a teacher at a Charter school in Arizona. I am pregnant and I found out that my school does not give any paid maternity leave. I only get six sick days a year and will have to use those as well as put away money every month to pay for any time off that I may need. Is this legal for a school not to provide any paid time off? And if so, is there anything else I could do so I can have some sort of income for when I am out?

[LConnell]

There is nothing in federal or state law that mandates paid time off. I am not aware of anything you can do, unless you already have a short term disability plan. (It's too late for the plan to do any good if you have not already enrolled as the pregnancy is considered as a pre-existing condition.)

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

[aeh4543]

At the present time no one is entitled to paid time off.

However, you may be eligible for FMLA leave if your company has 50 or more employees within 75 miles - that will allow for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if you so desire.

-Amy