4430 - LEAVES
Leaves differ from absences primarily in terms of the length of time the support staff member is away from his/her assigned responsibilities. When not otherwise specified in a negotiated, collectively-bargained agreement, the following leaves shall be granted in accordance with the conditions established for each type of leave.
SICK LEAVE
In order to properly implement Board policy, these guidelines should be followed when utilizing Sick Leave. Sick leave may be used for:
absence of the support staff member due to personal illness, injury, pregnancy, or exposure to a communicable disease which could be communicated to other support staff members or to students.
absence of the support staff member due to illness or injury of someone in the support staff member's immediate family. In this section, the support staff member's immediate family is defined as: spouse, mother, father, grandparent, grandchild, son, daughter, stepchild, sibling, or another family member who is dependent upon the employee.
The filing, by a support staff member, of any willfully false statement concerning the cause or duration of an absence shall be considered by the Board as grounds for suspension or dismissal.
Whatever the claims of disability, no day of absence shall be considered to be a sick leave day on which the support staff member has engaged in or prepared for other gainful employment, has participated in a concerted work stoppage, or has engaged in any activity which would raise doubts regarding the validity of the sick leave request.
Records of Sick Leave
The personnel records of this Corporation shall show the attendance of each support staff member and such days as that support staff member may be absent shall be recorded with the reason for such absence noted. A record shall be made of the unused sick leave days accumulated by each support staff member.
MILITARY LEAVE
Requests for military leave shall be made to the Director of Human Resources at least two (2) weeks in advance of impending military service.
For purposes of seniority and placement on the salary schedule, a maximum of one (1) year of absence in the Armed Services of the United States or the auxiliaries thereof shall be counted as service to the Corporation.
Each support staff member must notify the Board of his/her intention to resume employment within thirty (30) days of his/her release or discharge and shall present to the Board evidence of an honorable discharge or a discharge under honorable conditions.
If a staff member is called to active duty because of a war or National/State emergency, the Corporation shall make up the difference between Corporation salary and military pay for a period of fifteen (15). In addition, the staff member may return to the same or equivalent position held at the time of call-up.
Requests for training leave may be made by those who are members of the State or National Guard, Naval Militia, U.S. Army, Naval, Air Force, or Marine Reserve, other organizations affiliated with the reserves or by order of the Governor of Indiana. Any staff member on such leave shall receive full compensation and accrue seniority status during the period of leave.
All support staff members shall make every effort to schedule his/her period of training when school is not in session. If the period of training occurs during a school session, the support staff member shall provide the Director of Human Resources with the name of his/her supervisor in the reserves or the militia so that arrangements may be discussed as to the alternatives available if necessary in order to request a change in the service date.
MILITARY FAMILY LEAVE
The Board shall grant an unpaid leave of absence to a support staff member who has been employed for at least twelve (12) months and is the spouse, parent, grandparent, or sibling of a person who is ordered to active duty during one (1) or more of the following periods:
during the thirty (30) days before active duty orders are in effect
during the thirty (30) days after the active duty orders are terminated.
The Board shall require the staff member to substitute any of his/her earned vacation, personal leave, or other paid leave except for paid medical or sick leave available for leave for any part of the ten (10) day period.
The staff member who chooses to take this type of leave of absence shall provide notice including a copy of the active duty orders if available, to the Board of the date the leave is to begin. This notice is to be given to the Board at least thirty (30) days before the date on which the staff member intends to begin the leave, unless the active duty orders are issued less than thirty (30) days before the date the requested leave is to begin.
The Board may require verification of the staff member's eligibility for the leave. If the staff member fails to provide verification, the Board may consider the staff member's absence as being unexcused.
The staff member must have worked at least 1,500 hours during the twelve (12) month period immediately preceding the day the leave begins.
The leave of absence allowed each year may not exceed a total of ten (10) working days.
the position the staff member held before the leave; or
a position equivalent to the position that the staff member held before the leave with equivalent benefits and terms of the negotiated agreement.
The Board is not required to restore a staff member to a position described above if the Board proves that the reason the staff member was not restored to the position is unrelated to the staff member's exercise of his/her rights to request this leave.
The Board shall permit the staff member to continue his/her health care benefits during the leave at the staff member's expense.