5.2 Personal Leave*

The Board shall grant each employee two (2) days per year of personal leave to be used without loss of pay with appropriate notice to his/her immediate supervisor. Said personal leave shall be allowed to accumulate to a maximum of five (5) days, including the leave of the current year. Unused personal leave shall accumulate as sick leave.

The superintendent shall grant one (1) additional day of personal leave to any employee who so requests. The employee shall reimburse the District at the prevailing rate for a substitute teacher--if, in fact, a substitute teacher is used.

*Part-time employees shall receive the pro-rata amount of the applicable number of personal leave days (defined by the part-time employee's regularly scheduled work day). Personal leave days for part-time employees do not carry over from year to year. Further, part-time employees shall not be compensated for unused personal leave days.

*An hourly employee hired to teach every day of the 180-day school year would receive the full complement of personal leave days allotted to regular full-time employees – i.e. two (2) days.

5.3 Professional Leave*

Two (2) professional days per year may be allowed with approval of the superintendent upon recommendation of the immediate supervisor. Professional leave days may accumulate to a total not to exceed three (3). Requests for such leave must demonstrate that the experience will enhance the teachers' professional performance in their teaching assignment. Teachers may be called upon to transfer knowledge attained during professional leave to faculty & staff, at a teachers’ meeting or in-service of the Superintendent’s choosing within 40 days of completion of said leave.

*Part-time employees are excluded from Section 5.3.

5.4 Leaves of Absence*

Leaves of absence may be granted without pay to tenured employees who have rendered satisfactory service to the District and who desire to return to employment in a similar capacity at a time mutually consistent with the needs of the District and the value of continued employment to the District as determined by the Board.

Each approved leave of absence shall be of the shortest possible duration required to meet the purpose for the leave consistent with a reasonable continuity of instruction for students.

Leaves of absence without pay for not more than one (1) year may be granted to tenured teachers according to the following conditions:

1. Written requests for leaves of absence without pay should be made at least three (3) months before the leave is desired, subject to approval by the Board.

2. Dates of departure and return must be acceptable to the administration and determined prior to initiating the request.

3. Leaves may be granted for:
   1. Advanced study leading to a degree in an approved university.

   2. Educationally related travel if the applicant provides an itinerary and an explanation of how such travel will improve the educational program.

   3. Military service

   4. Maternity

   5. Other reasons acceptable to the Board which will improve the educational program in the District.

4. Employees on such leave may continue insurance benefits if they reimburse the District for any prorata costs of benefits for which they apply.

5. Employees will gain one (1) year of seniority credit if they work at least one hundred-ten (110) days of the school year. They will gain one-half (1/2) year of seniority credit if they work at least fifty (50) days but less than one hundred-ten (110) days of the school year.

The employee shall notify the District of his/her intention to return at least sixty (60) days before the end of the school year or the semester prior to resuming duties. The Board may grant an extension upon reapplication.

*Part-time employees are excluded from Section 5.4.

5.5 Association Leave

The Association shall be allowed to use no more than twelve (12) days each year for Association business. The Association will make every reasonable effort to provide 48 hour written notice to the building principal. Additionally, no more than two members shall request such leave from the same building. The Superintendent may grant exception to the limit of days, and the two-member limit upon written request of the Association. The Association shall reimburse to the Board the cost of the substitutes if, in fact, substitutes are used.

5.6 Military Leave

The first ten (10) days of absence by any employee due to active duty service in a branch of the Armed Forces Reserve or the National Guard shall be handled in accordance with the Illinois School Code.

If the absence exceeds ten (10) days, the employee shall be granted a leave of absence for the balance of the school year or for the first six months of duty, whichever is greater. During this period of absence, the employee shall be paid as follows:

1. If the employee's reserve pay (excluding hazardous duty pay) is less than the regular school pay he/she would have received from the employer (as distributed over 12 months), he/she shall be paid the difference between said reserve pay and regular school pay.

2. If the employee's reserve pay (excluding hazardous duty pay) is equal to or greater than the regular school pay he/she would have received from the employer (as distributed over 12 months), he/she shall not receive regular school pay but will be allowed to keep any excess reserve pay.

3. When the employee returns to work in either of the above cases, he/she shall resume regular school pay without "docking".

Employees hired by the Board of Education to take the place of employees called to active duty shall be exempt from all bargaining unit membership requirements.

Income earned while on active duty during the summer after the last day of school of the prior school year and prior to the first day of school of the ensuing school year shall be exempt from this provision unless the employee is contracted beyond 180 school days.

Total earned compensation during the period of active duty must be verified by a branch of the federal government.

TRS gives full earnings and service credit to all members called away from teaching to active military duty without charging any contributions for the time period the members are on active duty. Therefore, neither the employer nor the employee would be required to pay TRS and THIS contributions for the period the member is on active military duty.

For health insurance purposes, the employee will only be responsible for dependent care coverage during active military service for the time period allowed by the insurance carrier, but not exceeding six months or the balance of the school year.

5.7 Assault, Accident, or Injury Leave

In the event that an employee is absent due to assault, accident, injury or illness incurred in the course of the employee's employment, said employee shall resume regular pay upon return to work.

5.8 Pooling of Sick Leave*

Accumulated sick leave may be shared on a prorated, per diem basis (based on taxable income) by any and all District employees, with mutual approval of the employees involved. The per diem shall be calculated by dividing the taxable salary by 180 days for teachers or by multiplying the hourly rate times the number of hours worked per day as per contract for non-certified personnel to determine salary paid per day. An employee may not receive a sick day from another employee until said employee has exhausted his/her sick leave and then only on a day-to-day basis. Use of sick leave shall be according to the definitions and procedures contained in Section 24-6 of the School Code, statutory citation 105 ILCS 5/24-6 (Full text also available online at http://www.ilga.gov/ search "sick leave" or "5/24-6".)

The sick leave pooling and donation system and all decisions regarding whether to donate sick days are made entirely by the individual employees; the District shall have no responsibility or liability for matters arising from the administration of this Section. Employees are responsible for accurately reporting to the District office the number of days pooled or donated under 5.8, for accurate reporting to TRS.

This section cannot and will not be used in any way to affect a change in retirement benefits for any employee involved. An employee who leaves the District may not donate accumulated but unused sick days to another.

This provision shall be reopened for consideration upon the written demand to bargain by either party if the District becomes subject to TRS penalties under this Section in order to revise the Section as needed to avoid penalties to the District.

*Part-time employees are excluded from Section 5.8.