LEAVES OF ABSENCE

LEAVES OF ABSENCE

po3430Adopted May 1, 2002Revised May 20, 2025

3430 - LEAVES OF ABSENCE

A leave of absence is permission granted or allowed by the School Board under its adopted policies for an employee to be absent from duty for a specified period of time with the right to return to employment upon the expiration of the leave. 

Employees shall not be absent from their assigned duties except as authorized by the Superintendent or designated representative. An employee who is willfully absent from duty without leave shall forfeit compensation for the time of such absence. Contracts or appointments shall be subject to cancellation by the Board and the employee shall be subject to immediate dismissal.

The immediate supervisor and the Superintendent or designated representative shall approve the request for a leave of absence prior to the effective date of the leave. Except in cases of emergency, the request shall be filed according to established procedures before the date on which the proposed leave is to become effective.

All leaves shall expire no later than June 30th of each school year, except as otherwise permitted by law or Board policy.  If leave is requested to extend beyond June 30th, the employee shall re-apply for leave to begin July 1st of the following school year.

Employees should refer to the online Leave of Absence Guide Book for specific leave requirements. (see the guide book here)

Leave shall be used for the purposes set forth in the leave application. An employee who uses leave for purposes other than that set forth in the leave application may be subject to discipline up to and including termination.

Leave may be with our without pay as provided by law, regulations of the State Board, and this policy. For any absence that is without pay, the deduction in compensation for each day of absence shall be determined by dividing the annual salary by the number of days/hours for the employment period. 

  1. Paid leaves of absence include vacation, sick, personal charged to sick, jury duty/court service, illness or injury in line of duty, professional, and not paid military.
  2. Unpaid leaves of absence include professional study, personal leave not paid, illness leave not paid, family and medical leave, maternity/adoption, and child rearing leave.

Approval of Leaves

All requests for leave shall be submitted on the proper form to the employee's supervisor. Except in cases of emergency, a request for leave should be filed at least ten (10) days before the date on which the proposed leave is to become effective. 

The approval or denial of requests for leave shall be based on the requirements of efficient operation of the District school system, as well as on consideration of what is fair to the employee. 

Except in the case of sick leave or emergency, leave requests shall be approved or denied before the effective date of the leave. 

  1. The Superintendent is authorized to grant the following types of leave:
     
    1. Sick leave
    2. Illness or Injury in the line of duty
    3. Military leave
    4. Personal leave
    5. Vacation
    6. Professional leave
  2. The Superintendent is authorized to approve Family and Medical Act (FMLA) Leave under Policy 3430.01, FMLA Leave.
  3. All other requests for leave require a recommendation by the Superintendent and approval of the Board. Employees in bargaining units should refer to negotiated agreements for more leaves of absence details.

Revised 10/28/14
Revised 3/11/25
Revised 5/20/25

© Neola 2014