Paid Leave Days
Eligible full-time certified and support staff will have available one (1) leave day for each contract or agreed upon month of hire. Teachers are contracted for 9 months and receive a total of 9 paid leave days during the school year. A 10 month employee will receive a total of 10 paid leave days per year.
A maximum of two (2) paid leave days may be used for personal leave each year. Personal leave days must be scheduled in advance except, in the case of an emergency. Personal leave days may be taken any time during the school year, except during the following periods:
Personal leave may be used for tax investigation, court subpoena, conducting business of such nature that cannot be performed on a Saturday, Sunday, or before or after school hours, and weddings, graduations, or funerals of a member of an employee’s immediate family (above the bereavement days given).
Sick leave may be used for illness or injury of an employee or a member of the employee’s immediate family. Immediate family includes spouse, parents, children, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings of an employee.
Employees may elect to become a member of the district’s long-term illness bank. An employee that has elected to join the long-term illness bank the current year by electing to give two days may request assistance from the Bank Committee. Please see the Sick Bank Manual for more details.
Your building administrator may request a doctor’s note upon returning from your sick leave absence, if a pattern of days has developed or you have used all of your allotted paid leave days for the year. Absences from work above your annually allotted and any accumulated leave days will be deducted from your monthly pay at your daily earning rate figured from your annual salary.
According to Board Policy 4310, when employees are absent more than six (6) days in any semester or more than twelve (12) days per school year, their absence is considered excessive. 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.
Unused sick leave may accumulate to forty-five (45) days for all employees. The days in excess of 45 will be paid to the staff members returning to Marquand-Zion during the August payroll cycle. Certified, full-time employees will receive $25 per day, and non-certified or part-time employees will receive $15 per day. Employees retiring from Marquand-Zion School District, with at least 5 service years, will be paid in June for all unused leave days at the above rate.
Bereavement Leave
A maximum of three (3) days may be used in any school year for bereavement purposes. Use of these days will be charged to personal leave and if insufficient personal leave is available, to sick leave. Bereavement leave is available only upon the death of a member of the employee's immediate family, as that term is defined in the sick leave regulation. 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.