1. Sick leave is authorized for benefit eligible Educational Support Professional (ESP) personnel.

Definitions:

Immediate family is defined as spouse, daughter, son, father, mother, brother, sister, or other person residing in the employee’s home on a permanent basis. Special circumstances may be appealed to the Sick Leave Review Committee for consideration of immediate family status.

(Sick leave allowances)

1. Sick Leave allowances for employees working (20 hours or more per week) shall be determined by a combination of contract days and years of service according to the following schedule: (See, 420.04-Exhibit-1).
2. Employees may use these days to attend to their own health care needs or the health care needs of immediate family members.  Employees may only use up to the number of days allotted per year. Employees may not access accumulated leave except for their own health care needs or as allowed in this policy under Critical Family Care.
3. Sick Leave Benefits During Absence
   1. If an employee resigns his/her position in the District and then returns, he/she must start over on years of service and sick accumulation.
   2. Should an employee be granted a leave for any reason, he/she will keep his/her number of cumulative sick leave days to be used upon return, but shall not be considered for sick leave during the time of leave.
   3. If an employee becomes sick and uses all his/her sick leave and later returns to work, he/she must start over on a new accumulation at the rate shown for the year of service he/she was on at the time he/she became sick.
4. Use of Sick Leave for Critical Family Care
   A maximum of twelve (12) days of sick leave may be used each year to care for a critically ill member of the immediate family or person residing on a permanent basis in the employee’s home.
   1. Use of sick leave for critical family illness must be authorized by the Sick Leave Bank Review Committee. The employee must submit his/her request in writing to the Sick Leave Bank Review Committee using the form available in the Human Resources Department.
   2. Employees may not apply for critical family care benefits until the employee has used all family sick leave, all vacation leave (if applicable), and a minimum of two (2) personal leave days.
   3. In cases of extended critical care, employees may apply for additional days beyond the twelve (12) day allowance.
      1. If circumstances warrant it, the Sick Leave Bank Review Committee may authorize additional days equal to the number of unused family sick leave days available at the beginning of the critical illness. (A maximum of 3.)
      2. ESP employees who have exhausted leave in 4.2 but who must continue to deal with critical family care (as defined above) may apply to the sick bank committee for additional days.    One additional day may be granted for each year of service in the District up to a maximum of 15 days.
5. Converting Sick Leave for Adoption
   1. An employee who adopts a child may apply to convert up to 30 accrued sick leave days for adoption leave by submitting his/her request in writing to the Sick Leave Bank Review Committee using the form available in the Human Resources Department.
   2. Employees may be granted a maximum of 30 days of converted sick leave for adoption at the time of actual custody of the child is received.
      1. An employee may use up to five (5) accrued Personal Leave days, beyond the maximum number of Personal Leave days that may be used in any contract year  (See, Admin Reg. 420.04-4(1)), if the employee has insufficient Sick Leave to convert for Adoption Leave.
   3. Any additional leave must fall under the guidelines of Policy—400.26—Family and Medical Leave.
6. Sick Leave Payments, Procedures, and Limitations
   1. An employee is required to timely submit leave requests in the Skyward system and receive approval of the principal or immediate supervisor or designee.
   2. The Administration may require a doctor’s certificate without regard to the number of sick leave days claimed at any one time. Elective surgery shall be scheduled to minimize the time off work.
   3. Absences due to illness are to be entered by the employee into the District attendance tracking system and reported to the appropriate office or individual as soon as possible.
   4. The sick leave allowance during the first year of service for employees whose employment is subsequent to the beginning of the contract year shall be prorated.
   5. If the sick leave allowance is exhausted, unused vacation days may be used to avoid loss of salary.
   6. If an immediate supervisor suspects that an employee has misused his/her sick leave benefit as established by this policy, the immediate supervisor shall discuss the concern with the employee.    
      1. If it is determined that the employee has misused his/her sick leave the immediate supervisor will forward a written explanation of the abuse to the Director of Human Resources or his/her designee and an investigation shall be conducted.
      2. If the investigation of sick leave abuse proves to be true, the following guidelines may occur:
         1. Salary received for those unauthorized days shall be reclaimed;
         2. There may be up to a five-day (5) suspension without pay in the next pay period; and
         3. Additional disciplinary actions may be taken, up to and including termination of employment.