Paid Time Off (PTO) Leave
Employees in their first year of service will accrue prorated (1/4 each quarter) PTO at the beginning of each quarter.
Employees desiring to use PTO days must submit a request to the faculty principal at least one week in advance. The Superintendent/designee has the right to deny any request for personal leave that does not conform to the policy or would cause a hardship to students or staff.
PTO includes sick and personal leave for the staff member or the staff member’s immediate family. Immediate family is defined as spouse, parent, grandparent, child, sibling, daughter or son-in-law, grandchild, or non-family residing within the staff member’s home. PTO uses include, but are not necessarily limited to absences for the following reasons:
Black Out days are days that will only be considered for approval for PTO with a doctor's note or in an emergency situation. Days that are considered 'Black Out' days are as follows:
Staff members who are ill are encouraged to stay home to promote healing and reduce the risk of infecting others, especially during a pandemic or other significant health event. In the event of a pandemic or other significant health event, schools may be closed to all staff and students or just students. If schools are closed only to students, staff members are expected to work regular schedules or use appropriate leave.
For any leave that is potentially FMLA-qualifying, the District reserves the right to seek any necessary and authorized certifications. For leave that is designated as FMLA-qualifying, the employee taking leave will be required to use any available PTO concurrently with FMLA leave (See Board Regulation 4321).
A district employee may not use PTO while the employee is absent from work due to a work-related injury and receiving payment from Workers’ Compensation.
Any certified employee who is a member of a retirement system shall remain a member during any period of leave under PTO provisions of the District or under Workers’ Compensation. The employee shall also receive creditable service credit for such leave time if the employee makes contributions to the system equal to the amount of contributions that he or she would have made had he or she been on active service status.
Unused PTO Leave-Current Year
Full time employees, who have completed a full year of service and signed a contract for the next year, may request a $75 per day reimbursement, up to five days, for any unused portion of PTO from the current year.
Accumulated PTO Leave Allowance
Full time employees with any unused portion of PTO each year will be allowed to accumulate to 72 days. Days above 72 left unused at the end of each school year will be reimbursed at $20 per day.
Full time employees, who have served a minimum of six full consecutive years of service, and leave the District upon retirement or other favorable situation in which a resignation was submitted to the District and approve by the Board of Education, will be paid $20 per accumulated PTO day.
Bereavement Leave
A maximum of three (3) days with full pay may be used in any school year for bereavement purposes. Use of these days will not be charged to PTO leave. Bereavement leave is available only upon the death of a member of the employee's immediate family. Immediate family is defined as spouse, parent, grandparent, child, sibling, daughter or son-in-law, grandchild, or non-family residing within the staff member’s home. Bereavement leave is not accumulative.
Leave for Jury Duty
Employees called for jury duty, for participation in the jury selection process, or subpoenaed to testify in a civil or criminal proceeding will be granted leave with pay. Employees will receive their normal pay less any jury or witness fees received. Employees called for jury selection or service on a jury will not be requested or required to use annual vacation, personal leave, or sick leave for time required in such civic service.
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 orders if such a change appears to be in the best interest of the District.
Employees shall receive leave with pay for up to one hundred twenty (120) hours of military leave in each federal fiscal year. Additional military leave shall be without pay, except as required by federal and state law. Any person entitled to military leave shall only be charged military leave for any hours which the person would otherwise have been required to work had it not been for such military leave at a minimum of one hour and additional charges will be in multiples of one hour.
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 adjustments can be made.
Employee eligibility for reinstatement after military duty is completed shall be determined in accordance with federal and state laws.
Domestic/Sexual Violence Victim Leave (See Policy and Regulation 4322)
Leave of Absence
Upon the recommendation of the Superintendent/designee and the approval of the Board, an employee of the District may be granted a leave of absence for non-Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) child care, education, or other good cause. Such leave is renewable upon written request for one additional year only. Application for leave is to be made in writing to the Superintendent/designee via Principal/supervisor and must include the period for which the leave is requested and the reasons for the request. The period should be set to least disrupt the education of students. Requests for leave for an entire school year should normally be made in writing before March 1 of the preceding year.
If leave is approved by the Board, the employee is not paid for the period of the leave. Insurance benefits may be continued by the employee by making all payments to the Payroll Office, one month in advance.
Whenever a leave of absence has been granted by the Board to the end of the school year, the employee must notify the Superintendent in writing by the first day of March of an intention to resume his/her position at the beginning of the next school year. Failure to notify the Superintendent/designee of such intention will be regarded as a resignation.
Upon completion of an approved leave, provided proper notification is given, a teacher will be re-employed by the District unless placed on involuntary leave of absence if tenured; or, if notified of nonrenewal of contract by April 15 if a probationary teacher.
If desired, and whenever feasible, the employee will be placed on the same or equivalent position to the one held prior to the approved leave.
NOTE: Leave of absence without pay under the provisions of this regulation does not apply as service towards tenure for probationary teachers.