The following leaves with pay will be accorded full time support staff employees.

Discretionary Leave

Eligible support staff employees will have available three (3) discretionary days of absence per year.  In addition, the following support staff employees will accumulate one (1) day per month for the months of:

The maximum number of cumulative days for eligible support staff employees is unlimited. Unpaid leave shall not be considered leave for any purpose.

Accumulated leave in excess of fifty (50) days shall, at the option of the employee be redeemed at the rate of $10.00 per day, at the end of the year, or continue to accumulate. The employee shall make his/her option known to the Superintendent prior to September 30 of each year. Only ten (10) days may be redeemed per school year except in the case of resignation or retirement. Upon resignation or retirement of non-certificated employee who has accumulated leave, the District shall make a payment of $10.00 per accumulated day.

Absences may be charged against leave for the following reasons:

1. Illness, temporary disability, *or permanent disability of the employee. The Superintendent/designee will review each incident of excessive absence and may require the employee to provide medical documentation or may consider disciplinary actions up to and including termination.  In addition, if a certificated employee is absent for more than two (2) consecutive days, the employee will be required to provide a physician’s excuse for the length of the absence.  Failure to do so will result in docking of the days absent.
2. Illness or illness injury, to a member of the immediate family.**
3. Illness or injury of other relatives with permission granted by the Superintendent.
4. A District employee shall not be entitled to use days during the period the employee receives Workers’ Compensation for time lost to work related accidents.
5. Personal business that cannot be transacted in non-work hours.

Bereavement Leave

Employees will be granted a maximum of two (2) days, in any school year, for bereavement purposes. Bereavement leave is available only upon the death of a member of the employee's immediate family, as that term is defined at the end of this policy **. Bereavement leave is not accumulative.

Gift Leave

The following applies to all non-certificated employees when all other leaves of absence have been used.

1. A request for donated days must be submitted to a CTO executive committee member.
2. CTO will send each employee a donation form.
3. Forms should be sent back to a CTO executive committee member. (One day per form submitted, unless otherwise specified.)
4. The CTO executive committee will check with the central office for the number of days needed on a monthly basis.
5. A random drawing of donations will be carried out by the CTO executive committee.
6. Unused days will be returned to the donors.

Annual Vacation

Paid vacation leave shall be granted to the twelve (12) month employee after the employment anniversary date.  One (1) week of paid vacations equals five (5) work days.

Non-certificated employees who are employed for the full year, (twelve (12) months), and who are paid from the non-certified salary schedule shall be entitled to vacation as follows:

1-14 years of service                   - 2 weeks paid vacation

15-19 years of service                 - 3 weeks paid vacation

20 years of service – retirement – 4 weeks paid vacation

Non-certificated employees who are employed for the full year, (twelve (12) months), and who are paid from the administrator, supervisor, & professionals salary schedule shall be entitled to vacation as follows:

90-days probation                            - 1 week paid vacation

1-6 years of service                          - 2 weeks paid vacation

7-13 years of service                        - 3 weeks paid vacation

14-retirement                                    - 4 weeks paid vacation

Employees whose vacation leave would adversely affect the day-to-day operations of the School District during times when students are present shall take earned vacation leave during the summer months.

All employees shall keep a daily log of vacation time.

Leave for Jury Duty

Staff members called for jury duty or subpoenaed to testify in a civil or criminal proceeding will be granted leave apart from personal leave. Staff members will receive their normal pay less any jury or witness fees received.

Military Leave

An employee who is a member of the National Guard, or an organized military service of the United States, and who is required by laws of the United States or the State of Missouri to report for military duty, including training, shall be eligible for a grant of military leave.

Application for military leave shall be made in advance, as soon as practicable after the employee becomes aware of his/her obligation to report and immediately upon the employee’s receipt of official notice to report. A copy of the official orders must be added to the leave application. The Superintendent/designee must approve the application. Emergency mobilization orders shall be dealt with on an individual basis.

The District recognizes that employees who receive notice to report for duty typically are not provided with discretion as to when to report. However, whenever an employee has a choice as to when to report for military duty, the employee’s military leave shall be arranged during periods in which school is not in session. When the employee is given a choice as to when to report for duty, the Superintendent/designee may request that the employee seek a change in military order if such a change appears to be in the best interest of the District.

Employees shall receive leave with pay for the first fifteen (15) calendar days of military leave in each federal fiscal year. Additional military leave shall be without pay, except as required by federal and state law. The employee’s district salary during periods in which the employee is entitled to leave with pay shall be reduced by a figure equivalent to the gross salary received from the State of Missouri or the Federal government for the same period. No employee shall be paid under this provision an amount in excess of the total salary the employee should have received while fulfilling the employee’s regular assignment with the District.

Each employee shall furnish a copy of the employee’s military payroll voucher to the Superintendent/designee within thirty (30) days of the employee’s return to regular assignment so that the necessary salary adjustment can be made.

Employee eligibility for reinstatement after military duty is completed shall be determined in accordance with federal and state law.

Domestic/Sexual Violence Victim Leave (See Policy and Regulation 4322)

*The Board considers childbearing a temporary disability. Any support staff employee requesting a short term leave for that purpose shall be afforded all privileges and restrictions of this policy.

**The Board defines “immediate family” to include spouse, parents, children, mother-in-law, and father-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers and sisters of an employee or employee’s spouse.