The Houston Independent School District (HISD) has updated its employee leave and hiring policies under the direction of the state-appointed Board of Managers, drawing attention from teachers and staff across the district. The changes address family medical leave, bereavement policies, and background check procedures while reflecting stricter measures around teacher absences.

HISD employees who lose a child, grandparent, or grandchild will now be eligible for three days of bereavement leave, a benefit extended to hourly employees for the first time. However, the district eliminated intermittent Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provisions for newborn and adoptive care, restricting reduced schedules or intermittent leave to serious health conditions of the employee or a family member.

This shift contrasts with U.S. Department of Labor rules that allow intermittent leave for bonding with a newborn or adopted child if approved by the employer or automatically if the child has a serious medical condition.

Policy updates also changed HISD’s background check process. Criminal history reviews will no longer be conducted annually; instead, updates will come from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the FBI, or employee self-disclosures. Employees facing charges must now report them within 10 days or risk termination.

The district also removed language requiring polygraph tests for applicants and struck rules mandating checks before promotions. These revisions align with HISD’s broader effort to streamline hiring while keeping oversight in place. At the same time, HISD leadership continues to pressure teachers on attendance. After warning educators that more than 10 absences could lead to dismissal, HISD reported a drop in teacher absences from nine per teacher in 2022–23 to seven in 2023–24.