Child Rearing Leave Subd. 1 Child rearing leave of absences shall be available to teachers for a period of time, not to exceed twelve (12) calendar months, for the purpose of caring for a newborn infant or pre-school adopted child for which the applicant has the legal responsibility for the care and/or support of said child. Such leave may be taken subsequent to birth of the teacher's child, or in the case of adoption, when the child is physically turned over to the teacher-parent.
a. At least two (2) calendar months prior to the estimated delivery date of the child, the employee shall be required to notify the Employer in writing whether or not the employee intends to take child rearing leave. This election may be changed at any time before the teacher is no longer disabled from working due to childbirth or pregnancy related disability or before the fifteenth (15th) day after the birth of the child, whichever is sooner.
b. Upon filing an application for adoption of a pre-school child, the employee shall be required to notify the Employer, in writing, of the teacher's intention to take a child rearing leave. Such notice to include the estimated date when such leave shall become effective.
Subd. 3 In connection with the election to take child rearing leave, the teacher shall submit a request for such leave in writing. Such request shall include an estimated commencement date and return date. The estimated commencement date shall be the physician's projected date the teacher will no longer be disabled from teaching due to childbirth or pregnancy related disability, or in the case of an adoption, the agency's estimated date when the child will be turned over to the parent.
Subd. 4 In making the final determination under Subd. 3 concerning the duration of a child rearing leave of absence, the Employer shall not be required to grant a leave of absence in excess of two (2) semesters. The actual commencement date of child rearing leave shall be the date on which the teacher is no longer disabled due to childbirth and pregnancy related disability as determined by the physician; or, in the case of an adoption, the date when the child is physically turned over to the teacher-parent. The return date shall be twelve (12) calendar months following the actual commencement of the leave except as may be provided in Subd. 7.
Extended Child Care Leave Upon written notification, no later than four weeks prior to the expiration of the aggregate leave taken pursuant to Clauses 21.1 (Maternity Leave) and 21.2 (Parental Leave), an employee will be granted a further unpaid leave of absence not to exceed one year. An employee wishing continued coverage under any applicable benefit plans will pay the total premium costs while on extended child care leave. An employee on extended child care leave will provide the Employer with at least one month's written notice of return from such leave. Upon return from extended child care leave, an employee will be placed in their former position.
Child Bonding Leave A prospective father, spouse, domestic partner or adoptive parent is entitled to child bonding leave of up to six (6) months, within one year of the qualifying event. Child bonding leave runs concurrently with FMLA and CFRA. The scheduling of child bonding leave (either on FMLA or CFRA) on an intermittent basis and/or requests for a reduced work schedule are subject to mutual agreement by the employee and the Agency/Department Head as allowed by law. An employee may elect to take accrued vacation or compensating time off during the period of child bonding leave, except that in the case of an employee who is regularly scheduled to work less than the normal full-time work week for the classification, paid leave shall be granted only for those days, or fractions thereof, on which such an employee would have worked but for child bonding leave. The use of sick leave during child bonding leave shall not be permitted unless the employee is otherwise eligible to use it as provided in Section 11. Reinstatement subsequent to child bonding leave of absence shall be to the same classification from which leave was taken and the Agency/Department Head shall make its best effort to return such employee to the same geographical location, shift, and where there is specialization within a classification, to the same specialization. Questions as to whether or not the Agency/Department Head has made its best effort herein, shall not be subject to the grievance procedure.
Variation of period of parental leave Unless agreed otherwise between the employer and employee, an employee may apply to their employer to change the period of parental leave on one occasion. Any such change to be notified at least four weeks prior to the commencement of the changed arrangements.
Extended Leave of Absence Professional employees who have attained renewable contract status may request extended leaves of absence for one (1) year without pay under any one of the circumstances listed in this section. All requests for such extended leave of absence will be applied for and granted or rejected in writing. Such application will be reviewed by the principal and superintendent. If the latter approves, he/she will recommend that the leave be granted by the Board. An employee returning from an extended leave will be assigned to the same position as that which he/she held before assuming the leave, providing that position still exists. By mutual agreement between the employer and the employees, he/she may be given a different assignment. Extended leaves of absence may be requested under, but not limited to, the following:
1. To serve in a county, state, or national public office.
2. To care for a sick member of the immediate family.
3. To serve as an exchange teacher or an overseas teacher.
4. To accept a sabbatical leave.
Maternity Adoption and Parental Leave For the purposes of granting Maternity, Adoption and Parental Leave, the provisions of the Canada Labour Code and of its Regulations shall apply.
Family Violence Leave Family Violence Leave as provided for by the Holidays Act 2003 is in addition to other leave allowances within the collective agreement.
Volunteer Firefighting Leave Leave without pay will be granted when an employee who is a volunteer firefighter is called to duty to respond to a fire, natural disaster or medical emergency.
Family Medical Leave or Critical Illness Leave a) Family Medical Leave or Critical Illness leaves granted to a permanent teacher, long-term occasional teacher or teacher hired into a term position under this Article shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Standards Act, as amended.
b) The teacher will provide to the employer such evidence as necessary to prove entitlement under the Employment Standards Act.
c) A teacher contemplating taking such leave(s) shall notify the employer of the intended date the leave is to begin and the anticipated date of return to active employment.
d) Seniority and experience continue to accrue during such leave(s).
e) Where a teacher is on such leave(s), the Employer shall continue to pay its share of the benefit premiums, where applicable. To maintain participation and coverage under the Collective Agreement, the teacher must agree to provide for payment for the teacher’s share of the benefit premiums, where applicable.
f) In order to receive pay for such leaves, a teacher must access Employment Insurance and the Supplemental Employment Benefit (SEB) in accordance with g) to j), if allowable by legislation. An employee who is eligible for E.I. is not entitled to benefits under a school board’s sick leave and short term disability plan.
g) The Employer shall provide for permanent teachers, long-term occasional teachers and teachers hired into a term position who access such Leaves, a SEB plan to top up their E.I.
Extended Illness Leave When an employee is absent from his/her duties on account of illness or accident for a period of five school months or less, whether or not the illness or accident arises out of or in the course of employment, the amount deducted from the salary due the employee for any of the five-school-month periods in which absence occurs shall not exceed the sum which is actually paid a substitute employee employed to fill the employee’s position during his/her absence, or if no substitute employee was employed, the amount that would have been paid to the substitute had a substitute been employed. The sick leave, including accumulated sick leave, and the five-month period shall run consecutively. In other words, the five-month period stipulated above begins immediately after use of the employee’s current annual ten days plus any accumulated sick leave. When the employee remains absent after use of the five-month differential pay leave, the employee shall be in unpaid status. When the employee has exhausted all available sick leave, including accumulated sick leave, and continues to be absent on account of illness or accident for a period beyond the five-month period, and the employee is not medically able to resume the duties of his/her position, the employee shall, if not placed in another position, be placed on a reemployment list for a period of 24 months if the employee is on probationary status or for a period of 39 months if the employee is on permanent status. When the employee is medically able, during the 24- or 39-month period, the employee shall be returned to employment in a position for which he/she is credentialed and is qualified. The 24-or 39-month period shall commence at the expiration of the five-month period described above. This five-month period shall be implemented as set forth in the mandatory provisions of Education Code Section 44977 (as amended by SB 1019, Chapter 30 of the Statutes of 1998) and the mandatory provisions of Education Code Section 44978.1 (as newly enacted by the same Chapter 30 of the Statutes of 1998.)
