Leave Sharing Program (Regulations)

This regulation implements and supports the Leave Sharing Program Policy established by the board of education.

For the purposes of this regulation, the following definitions shall apply:

"Relative of the employee" means a spouse, child, stepchild, grandchild, grandparent, stepparent, or parent of the employee.

"Household members" means those persons who reside in the same home and who have duties to provide financial support to one another. The term includes foster children and legal wards even if they do not live in the household.

"Severe" or "extraordinary" means serious, extreme or life-threatening, including temporary disability resulting from pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and recovery therefrom as determined by the board of education.

"District employee" means a teacher or any full-time employee of this school district.

In order for an employee to participate in the shared leave program, the employee must:

1. Meet the criteria described in this regulation; and
2. Have abided by district policies regarding the use of sick leave.

An employee may donate sick leave to another employee only pursuant to the following conditions:

1. The receiving employee or a relative or a household member of the employee must have a severe or extraordinary illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition. Included within the definition of a severe or extraordinary condition is any temporary disability resulting from pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and recovery therefrom.
2. The condition must have caused, or is likely to cause, the employee to take leave without pay or to terminate employment.
3. Donated sick leave will not be available until all sick leave that is available to the requesting employee is exhausted.
4. The amount of leave to be donated is within the limits set by the board, if any.

Employees may not donate excess sick leave that the donor would not be able to otherwise take and the board will determine the amount of donated leave an employee may receive, if any.

Prior to approving donated sick leave, the board shall require the requesting employee to provide a medical certificate from a licensed physician or health care practitioner verifying the severe or extraordinary nature and expected duration of the condition.

When using donated sick leave, the receiving employee shall be paid the regular rate of pay normally paid to the receiving employee. Shared sick leave usage records will be maintained separately from regular sick leave records.

Shared or donated sick leave may be used only by the recipient for the purposes specified in this policy and may not be used if the employee has been notified of a pending reduction in force or employment termination affecting the employee.

Any shared sick leave not used by the recipient during each occurrence of shared sick leave use shall be returned to the donating employee. If more than one employee donated sick leave to the recipient and all the donated sick leave was not used, the remainder will be prorated to the credit of the donating employees and its original value (based on donor's pay rate) shall be restored.

Participation in this policy is strictly voluntary. No employee shall be coerced, threatened, intimidated, or financially induced into donating sick leave for the purpose of this policy.