5321 - Sick Leave Policy

Policy 5321

PERSONNEL 

Sick Leave
The district shall grant each full-time employee of the district twelve (12) sick leave days annually. Unused sick leave may be accumulated on a year-to-year basis up to a maximum of the number of contract days in a contract period, not to exceed one year.

The district may require a signed statement from a licensed medical provider for any absence in excess of five (5) consecutive days. If sick leave benefits are exhausted, leave without pay may be granted.

Uses. Sick leave may be used for the following reasons:

1) In case of personal illness or injury;

2) To care for: (a) a child of the employee with a health condition that requires treatment or supervision; or (b) a spouse, parent, parent-in-law, or grandparent of the employee who has a serious health condition or an emergency condition. “Child" means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis who is: (a) Under eighteen years of age; or (b) eighteen years of age or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability. Other accrued paid leave may also be used for this purpose, at the employee’s choice.

3) Emergency leave, up to five (5) days maximum per occurrence. Emergency leave will be granted for the following reasons: (a) illness or hospitalization of an employee’s family not otherwise covered by the sick leave policy; (b) serious damage to personal property; (c) bereavements not covered by the bereavement leave policy; (d) legal proceedings in which the court mandates attendance by the employee for non-district business, not otherwise allowed by policy 5325 (Jury Duty and Subpoena Leave); (e) other emergencies which make it impossible for an employee to work. General conditions under which emergency leave will be granted include: (i) the problem must have been suddenly precipitated, be of such a nature that planning is not possible, or that planning would not have relieved the necessity of the employee’s absence; and  (ii) the problem must be serious and not one of minor importance or mere inconvenience.

A written application for emergency leave (absence profile) must be submitted to the supervisor.

4) Birth or adoption of a child. For adoptive parents or stepparents, leave will be granted at the time of birth or initial placement for adoption of a child when the child lives in the employee’s household at the time of placement. The district shall grant leave upon the same terms to male employees as is available to female employees upon the birth or adoption of the employee’s child.

Requests for leave due to the birth or adoption of a child must be submitted in writing to the Director of Human Resources not less than thirty (30) days prior to the beginning date of the leave. The notice shall include the approximate beginning and ending dates of the leave requested.      

Attendance Incentive. In January of the year following any year in which a minimum of 60 days of sick leave is accrued, and each January thereafter, any eligible employee may exercise an option either:

1) to receive remuneration for unused sick accumulated in the previous year in an amount equal to one day's monetary compensation of the employee for each four full days of accrued sick leave in excess of 60 days; or

2) to add that year's sick leave to the employee’s accumulated sick leave.

All such leave for which the employee receives compensation shall be deducted from accumulated sick leave at the rate of four (4) days for every one (1) day's monetary compensation.

An employee may cash-out all accrued sick leave at the above rate at the time of separation due to retirement, provided that the retiree provides documentation from the appropriate state retirement system. Such leave shall be accrued at the rate of no more than one (1) day per month. Such request to cash-out shall be submitted for payment within sixty (60) days of the date of the last regularly-scheduled salary payment.

Earned sick leave shall not be accumulated in excess of 180 days as of December 31 of each year, except that an employee may exercise the annual January cash-out option for all days accumulated in excess of this maximum.

The administrator of the estate of a deceased employee may also cash-out all accumulated sick leave at the rate of one (1) day's monetary compensation for every four (4) days of leave. A certified copy of the death certificate must be submitted to the district office or proper documentation of court appointment as administrator of the estate.

 

 

Cross Reference:         Board Policy 5320                 Personnel Leaves
Legal References:       RCW   28A.400.210               Employee attendance incentive program —
                                                                                         Remuneration for unused sick leave
                                                28A.400.300               Hiring and discharging employees —
                                                                                          Leaves for employees — Seniority
                                                                                          and leave benefits, retention upon
                                                                                          transfers between schools
                                                49.12.270                   Washington Family Care Act
                                    WAC   392-136                      Conversion of Accumulated Sick Leave
                                                296-130                      Family Care
                                    AGO 1963-64 No.98              Sick leave for certificated and
                                                                                         noncertificated employees
                                    AGO 1980 No.22                   Limitation on compensated leave for school
                                                                                        District employees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adoption Date:           February 14, 2006