‘Never took a sick day in seven years’: Oklahoma teacher moms and the realities of no paid maternity leave

Karli Myers is a first-time parent and an English teacher at Sapulpa High School. And without any sick leave left to take, Myers had to return to her classroom the previous day, cutting short her time at home with Luke. 

That’s because public schools in Oklahoma aren’t mandated by the state to offer paid maternity leave to school faculty and staff — even though three out of four teachers in Oklahoma are women.

In a push to combat the state’s record teacher shortage by attracting and retaining more educators, one bill unveiled by Oklahoma Senate Republicans in January seeks to give moms like Myers some relief.