ARTICLE XII - LEAVES

Except as specified below, a teacher shall request leave from his/her immediate supervisor not less than seven (7) days in advance.  The request shall be in writing, setting forth the type of leave requested.  The supervisor shall respond in writing within three (3) days of receipt of the request.  One (1) day prior to the time of the leave date, the teacher shall provide adequate lesson plans for use by a substitute teacher.

Each teacher shall be furnished a current individual leave audit report in September.

Sabbatical leaves, as established in A.S. 14.20.180-.350, may be requested.

Sick leave shall be utilized only for illness of the teacher, for illness in the teacher’s immediate family residing in the household, or for illness of other regular household members.  It shall not be utilized for routine dental and physical examinations, except for one (1) day of sick leave may be utilized for purposes of acquiring a physical examination required for employment.  Yearly accumulation of sick leave shall be available as of the first contract day of the school year, any teacher who does not complete his/her contract will have any excess payment made for used sick leave beyond that accrued deducted from his/her final pay.  Except in the case of an emergency, a teacher shall report impending sick leave to the immediate supervisor not less than thirty (30) minutes prior to the time the teacher is scheduled to report to work.  Sick Leave shall not be utilized attached to school vacation periods for elective procedures or treatments that could have taken place during the vacation period.

The Board agrees to grant for a maximum of seven (7) days leave chargeable to sick leave for death or serious illness in the immediate family.  An additional two (2) days for leave travel purposes shall be granted to village teachers.  For purposes of this item, one’s immediate family includes a teacher’s spouse, child, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, parent-in-law, and any other members as required by the Alaska Family Leave Act.

A teacher shall be granted maternity leave upon request for a period not to exceed a total of twelve (12) weeks immediately before and/or immediately following delivery.  This leave shall be charged first to sick leave and then to leave without pay.

A teacher shall be granted upon request five (5) days leave to be with his partner near the time of delivery.  Such leave shall be charged first to sick leave and then to leave without pay.

A teacher who is a member of a reserve component of the US Armed Forces or National Guard shall be granted leave with pay on all days during which he/she is ordered to training duty.  Such leave shall not exceed sixteen and one-third (16-1/3) working days in one work year.  Any salary or stipend earned by the teacher from the US Armed Forces or National Guard during said leave of absence shall be paid by the teacher to the District.

Personal leave shall accrue at the rate of one (1) day for each two consecutive quarters that the teacher is employed with the District during the school year, cumulative to a maximum of eight (8) days.  The teacher must be on paid status for a minimum of seventy (70) days during those two consecutive quarters.  The teacher’s anticipated yearly accumulation of personal leave days shall be available as of the teacher’s first contract day of the school year, provided that any teacher who does not complete his/her contract will have any excess payment for used personal leave beyond what has been accrued, deducted from his/her final pay.  Provided further that no more than three (3) consecutive days of personal leave shall be utilized at one time. 

Personal leave may not be utilized on the first or last working day of the school year or tandem to a holiday or vacation except in the case of travel delays caused by factors beyond the control of the teacher.  Additionally, personal leave may not be utilized during in-services that are calendared by the site and/or District prior to the end of the school day on the Friday before Labor Day, unless extenuating circumstances or a compelling need mandates the use of such personal leave. 

Written notification shall normally be presented to the supervisor no less than twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the impending leave.  One-hour prior verbal application shall be acceptable in the event of extenuating circumstances. 

A teacher may elect to cash out his/her earned personal leave at the teacher’s current per day salary rate.  Any personal leave in excess of eight (8) days will be automatically cashed out at the teacher's current per day salary rate, in the teacher's first paycheck of the school year. 

Administrative leave with pay for reasons not specified above including attendance of a teacher at professional conferences, may be granted by the Superintendent.

A teacher on unpaid leave shall be allowed to purchase life and health insurance through the District’s insurance carriers, by paying to the District the health insurance cost per C.O.B.R.A., and the life insurance premium charged to the District by the carrier.

The Superintendent may grant leave without pay to a teacher for emergency, personal, or family business which requires the teacher’s absence.  Short term leave shall not exceed ten (10) days in one work year except in extenuating circumstances.  The seven (7) day prior notification requirement shall be waived if such prior notice is not possible.