| The School Board of Polk County |
| Bylaws & Policies |
| Unless a specific policy has been amended and the date the policy was revised is noted at the bottom of that policy, the bylaws and policies of The School Board of Polk County were adopted on November 12, 2013 and were in effect beginning November 12, 2013. |
3430 - LEAVES OF ABSENCE
A leave of absence is permission granted by the School Board or allowed under its adopted policies for an employee to be absent from duty for a specified period of time with the right to return to employment upon the expiration of leave.
Instructional staff members shall not be absent from their assigned duties except as authorized by the Superintendent. An instructional staff member who is willfully absent from duty without leave shall forfeit compensation for the time of such absence. Contracts or appointments shall be subject to cancellation by the Board and employee shall be subject to immediate dismissal.
All leave shall expire no later than June 30th of each school year except as otherwise permitted by law. If leave is requested to extend beyond June 30th, the instructional staff member shall reapply for leave to begin July 1st of the following school year.
Leave shall be used for the purposes set forth in the leave application. An instructional staff member who uses leave for purposes other than that set forth in the leave application may be subject to discipline, up to and including termination.
Leave may be with or without pay as provided by law, regulations of the State Board, and this policy. For any absence that is without pay, the deduction of each day of absence shall be determined by a calculation using the employee’s annual salary and designated work schedule.
Paid leaves of absence may include vacation, sick leave, personal leave chargeable to sick, jury duty/court service, temporary duty, illness or injury-in-line-of-duty, military, and floating birthday/holiday.
Unpaid leaves of absence may include personal leave without pay, illness leave without pay, family and medical leaves, military, personal for purposes of teaching in a charter school, and maternity/adoption.
Approval of Leaves
All requests for leave shall be submitted on the proper form to the instructional staff member’s supervisor. Except in cases of emergency, a request for leave should be filed at least ten (10) days before the date on which the proposed leave is to become effective.
The approval or denial of requests for leave shall be based on the requirements of efficient operation of the District school system, as well as on consideration of what is fair to the employee.
Except in the case of sick leave or emergency, leave requests shall be approved or denied before the effective date of the leave.
| A. | The Superintendent is authorized to grant the following types of instructional staff member leave: |
| 1. | sick leave | ||
| 2. | illness- or injury-in-line-of-duty leave, up to ten (10) days | ||
| 3. | military leave | ||
| 4. | personal leave | ||
| 5. | vacation (annual) leave | ||
| 6. | professional leave or personal leave of absence without pay | ||
| 7. | jury/witness duty leave | ||
| 8. | bereavement leave |
| B. | The Superintendent is authorized to approve Family and Medical Act (FMLA) Leave under Policy 3430.01, FMLA Leave. | |
| C. | All other requests for leave require a recommendation by the Superintendent and approval of the Board. |
Types of leave include, but are not limited to, the following:
| A. | Public Office Leave | |
| Upon annual application, employees may be granted a leave of absence without pay up to six (6) years to serve in public office. Upon return from sick leave, the employee shall be offered a position in the District for which the employee is certified and qualified. | ||
| B. | Administrative Leave | |
| The Superintendent has the authority to place an employee on administrative leave if the Superintendent believes that it is in the best interest of the students, staff, or community. If an administrative leave extends beyond ten (10) workdays, the employee (and applicable bargaining unit association) will be notified by the Superintendent or designee of the reasons for the extension. Continuation of pay for the employee placed on administrative leave will be based upon the Superintendent’s recommendation unless otherwise stated in the applicable bargaining agreement. All rules for active employees will continue to apply. |
Instructional staff should refer to the collective bargaining agreement for specific leave requirements.
The following leaves are covered under separate policies:
| A. | Family and Medical Leave Policy 3430.01 | |
| B. | Domestic Violence Policy 3430.02 | |
| C. | Sick Leave Policy 3430.03 | |
| D. | Personal Leave Policy 3430.04 | |
| E. | Illness- or Injury-in-Line-of-Duty Leave Policy 3430.05 | |
| F. | Vacation Leave Policy 3430.06 | |
| G. | Military Leave Policy 3430.07 | |
| H. | Professional Leave Policy 3430.08 | |
| I. | Jury/Witness Duty Leave Policy 3430.09 | |
| J. | Charter School Leave Policy 3430.10 | |
| K. | Bereavement Leave Policy 3430.11 |
F.S. 1012.22
F.S. 1012.61
F.S. 1012.63
F.S. 1012.64
F.S. 1012.66
F.S. 1012.67
F.A.C. 6A-1.080, Maximum Extent of Leave
Revised 1/20/15
Revised 11/13/18
© Neola 2014