Employee Leave, Policy No. 452
Employee Leave, Policy No. 452
Printable PDF Board Policy 452
Sick Leave (All Employees)
Sick leave is provided to employees who must be absent from work due to illness, pregnancy, or accidental injury.
· Full time, non-exempt support employees accrue one (1) day of sick leave at the end of each contract month. No more than 560 hours/70 days can be carried forward to the next fiscal year.
· Full time, exempt support employees accrue one (1) day of sick leave at the end of each contract month. No more than 70 days can be carried forward to the next fiscal year.
· Certified teachers non-certified instructors, and ten (10) month support staff accrue ten (10) days of sick leave on July 1 of each year. No more than 70 days can be carried forward to the next fiscal year. The Negotiated Agreement defines the use of sick leave for certified teachers.
· Administrators accrue twelve (12) days of sick leave on July 1 of each year. No more than 70 days can be carried forward to the next fiscal year.
These leave amounts will be prorated for anyone who starts work after the beginning of the contract year.
Sick leave is interpreted as the time when personal illness, accidental injury or pregnancy or personal illness in the immediate family keeps an employee from being present to conduct his/her regular daily work. Immediate family is defined as parent (stepparent), sibling, spouse, child (stepchild), grandparent, or grandchild, or such relationships established by current marriage, or any other person living in the household. This also includes dental, physical, and eye examinations for employees and dependents in the immediate family with at least 24 hours prior notification in writing to the supervisor. Sick time may also be taken for the birth of a child or grandchild. Any misuse or use of sick leave for other purposes may result in disciplinary action or termination.
When the employee severs connection with the technology center for any reason, all his/her accumulated sick leave is canceled. If he/she is employed by another technology center, his/her accumulated sick leave may be transferred to the receiving technology center, up to sixty (60) days.
A new employee beginning employment at Moore Norman Technology Center directly from another technology center or Oklahoma public school district can transfer up to sixty (60) days of sick leave to Moore Norman. This transferred leave must be used until depleted before sick leave from Moore Norman Technology Center is used.
Sub-Deduct Sick Leave (Ten Month Certified Employees Only)
If, after exhausting all sick leave and any available paid maternity leave, for a qualified absence, a ten (10) month certified employee must be absent from duties due to personal injury, illness or pregnancy, the employee shall receive for a period not to exceed twenty (20) days his or her full contract salary less the amount actually paid a certified substitute teacher for his/her position if a certified substitute teacher is hired; or normally paid a certified substitute teacher for his/her position if a certified substitute teacher is not hired.
Jury and Court Leave (All Employees)
The technology center shall grant employees paid leave for jury duty or to serve as a witness if subpoenaed in a criminal, civil or juvenile proceeding in which the employee is not a party. The employee may also keep any remuneration paid to the employee for this service. Affected employees must provide their supervisor with a copy of the summons or subpoena and the employee is required to return to work if released from service before the workday ends.
Employees will also be granted paid leave to participate in legal proceedings involving Moore Norman Technology Center.
Employees participating in criminal, civil, or juvenile proceedings, except as outlined above, will be required to use accrued leave or take leave without pay.
Personal Business Leave (All Employees)
The technology center shall provide for all full-time 12-month personnel six (6) personal business leave days per school year. Full-time ten (10) month personnel will receive eight (8) personal business days per school year. This amount will be prorated for anyone who starts work after the beginning of the contract year.
Ten (10) Month Certified Staff and Non-Certified Instructors
Pursuant to the terms of the negotiated agreement, certified staff must request personal leave in writing two (2) days in advance of the time needed by the supervisor.
When the intended personal business leave is immediately before and/or following a scheduled break or vacation period, prior approval must be obtained from the superintendent and/or designee.
Prior approval by the superintendent and/or designee must also be obtained if the requested leave is during scheduled events or periods when the individual's presence is deemed significant, such as State Department evaluations, school-wide advisory committee meetings, professional days, or in-service.
If the administration disapproves the leave, the employee will be notified in writing as soon as possible and at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the requested leave date(s). In all instances, the administrator shall respond within forty-eight (48) hours of the request being submitted.
A standard duplicate form shall be provided so the individual requesting the leave can receive a copy verifying approval/disapproval of the requested leave. An email request and response may substitute for the duplicate form.
When an unexpected major event requires that an employee be absent from duties, the administration shall waive the forty-eight (48) hour notice requirement. If this is the case, the employee shall submit a written notice within one (1) working day after returning to work.
Misusing the leave policy with the technology center could result in loss or compensation or termination of employment. Personal business leave days are granted annually and are not cumulative. A maximum of four (4) unused personal business leave days will be converted to sick leave at the end of the year.
Bereavement Leave (All Employees)
The technology center provides up to five (5) workdays within a ten (10) workday period per event bereavement leave for qualifying family members without loss of pay. This leave must be taken within ten (10) workdays of the death.
Qualifying family members are defined as follows: husband or wife, son or daughter, father or mother, brother or sister, father-in-law or mother-in-law, son-in-law or daughter-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, grandparent or grandchild, aunt or uncle or persons who live as members of the employee’s family.
Absences to attend a funeral of any individual other than a family member identified above will be charged to sick, personal business or annual leave.
Military Leave (All Employees
It is the policy of the technology center to provide employees who are a component of the armed forces in the United States, including the members of the National Guard, leave when that employee is ordered by proper authorities to active duty or service.
· Certified Employees
· Military leave shall be without loss of status, efficiency rating pay, or benefits during the first thirty (30) days of such leave.
· Support Employees
Military leave shall be without loss of status, efficiency rating pay, or benefits during the first thirty (30) calendar days or the first thirty (30) regularly scheduled workdays for support employees, or not to exceed two hundred forty (240) hours, of such leave of absence in any federal fiscal year.
The technology center will also comply with all other rights guaranteed under state and federal law.
Maternity Leave
Full-time employees of the technology center who have been employed by the center for at least one year and have worked at least 1,250 hours during the preceding 12-month period shall be entitled to six (6) weeks of paid maternity leave following the birth of the employee’s child. The six (6) weeks of paid maternity leave shall be used immediately following the birth of the employee’s child. The six (6) weeks of maternity leave shall be in addition to and not in place of sick leave due to pregnancy pursuant to 70 O.S. § 6-104. A technology center employee taking maternity leave pursuant to the new law shall not be deprived of any compensation or other benefits to which the employee is otherwise entitled.
With regard to the sick leave sharing program, the maternity leave provided and all other available leave must be used prior to accessing any eligible leave from the sick leave bank.
Annual Leave (12 Month Employees Only)
Annual leave with pay is available under the following terms:
· Non-exempt and Exempt Full-Time Employees
· Employees with less than five (5) years of continuous employment at Moore Norman Technology Center accrue leave at the rate of 1.25 days per month, cumulative to thirty (30) days.
· Employees with more than five )5) years of continuous employment at Moore Norman Technology Center accrue leave at the rate of 1.667 days per month, cumulative to forty (40) days.
· Accrual of annual leave at the next higher level will begin on the first day of the month following the appropriate anniversary date. Accrued annual leave may be taken upon prior approval by the appropriate supervisor. Exempt employees may use annual leave in half or whole-day increments.
· Upon retirement or other separation from employment, employees with accrued annual leave will be paid a lump sum in full for such accrued but unused leave. This payment will be made the month after the date of termination. The amount will be calculated at the employee’s daily rate multiplied by the number of days of leave available.
· Employees must monitor their annual leave accrual. Once the employee has reached the max accrual, the employee will not accrue leave until his/her balance falls below the max.
Leave Without Pay (All Employees)
An employee wishing to take leave without pay must have written consent from the superintendent or designee. Failure to receive prior written consent may result in disciplinary action.
Breastfeeding (Support Employees Only)
For up to one (1) year after a child’s birth, any employee who is breastfeeding her child will be provided a reasonable break time each day to express breast milk for her child. The break time, if possible, shall run concurrently with any break time, paid or unpaid, already provided to the employee.
The administration will designate private areas on campus, other than a restroom, where an employee can express breast milk. The designated area shall be spaces where intrusion from co-workers, students and the public can be prevented, and where an employee who is using these areas can be shielded from view.
Time required for breastfeeding breaks is considered unpaid time under the Fair Labor Standards Act. An employee may make up the time taken for such breaks by designating a lunch period as a breastfeeding break, adjusting her work schedule with the approval of her supervisor to make up the time taken for breastfeeding breaks, using personal leave for the time used for breastfeeding breaks, or opting for leave without pay for time used for breastfeeding breaks.
Employee Association Leave
An eligible employee may request a leave of absence to hold office as an officer, director, trustee, or agent of a national, statewide, or technology center employee association. The employee requesting employee association leave must provide the technology center superintendent, or their designee, with proof of election and proof of the term of office for the national, statewide, or technology center employee association. Proof of election must include certification by the employee association of the date of the election and the results of the election.
The board of education may, in its sole discretion, grant a request for leave of absence under this section, but such leave will be without pay and without benefits granted by the technology center, regardless of whether the benefit is paid by the employee on leave or the association for which the employee is serving as an officer, director, trustee, or agent. If the request for employee association leave is granted, the board of education will provide definitive beginning and end dates for the approved leave of absence.
During the employee association leave period, the employee’s position with the technology center will be maintained without advancement on the minimum salary schedule and without accrual of sick leave, personal business leave, or personal leave. Furthermore, the employee on leave will not accumulate service credit within the Teacher’s Retirement System of Oklahoma. Following the conclusion of a leave of absence approved by the board of education under this section, the employee may return to their former position or a comparable position.
During the leave of absence, the employee granted leave will be prohibited from accessing technology center office space.
Reference: OKLA. STAT. tit. 70 § 6-104, 70 OKLA. STAT. §6-104.1, 70 OKLA. STAT. §6-104.5, 70 OKLA. STAT. §6-105, Atty. Gen. Op. No. 76-161, OKLA. STAT. tit. 44, §209; OKLA. STAT. TIT. 72, §48; Atty. Gen. Op. No. 73-297; 70 OKLA. STAT. §6-104.8