Sick Leave and Absences

General Information

  1. When absent for duty for whatever reason, and employee must notify his or her supervisor (principal, superintendent, or other designee) he/she will not be at work.
  2. If an employee fails to notify his/her immediate supervisor, the district will deduct time lost from the employee's salary.  The district will not tolerate unexplained absences and will consider them sufficient cause for discharge. (Policy GBRI)
  3. Sick leave will be accrued at the rate of one and one-fourth days per month of employment (12 days for nine months), cumulative to a maximum of 200 days.
  4. There will be no loss of salary to the employee when absence is due to personal illness, provided that sufficient sick leave has been accrued.
  5. An employee who has been absent from work for 90 consecutive calendar days, however, must apply for long-term disability through the Insurance Benefits Section, South Carolina Retirement System. Upon request of the immediate supervisor (principal, superintendent or his/her designee), the employee may be required to submit statements from a licensed physician documenting his/her illness and/or fitness to return to work. Spartanburg School District Two reserves the right to request an examination by a licensed physician selected by the district to obtain a second opinion regarding the nature of the employee's illness and/or fitness to return to work.
  6. Eight days of sick leave may be used during each academic year for reasons of illness in the immediate family. Immediate family in this provision will mean mother, father, husband, wife, daughter, son, brother, sister, mother-in-law and father-in-law. These days may also be used for any person living in the home who is dependent on the employee for care. In extreme cases, the superintendent may grant the use of up to 20 days sick leave for family illness. A written request for use of these days should be submitted to the superintendent for his/her review.

 

Adoption leave

 

  1. Employees may be granted leave for the purpose of caring for an adopted preschool child immediately after placement. This leave will be authorized only if the employee is designated as the person primarily responsible for the care and nurture of the adopted preschool child.

 

  1. The employee may use accrued sick leave for this purpose. The amount of sick leave may not exceed 15 days. The employee may request unpaid family and medical leave immediately following the paid adoption leave for up to nine additional weeks (see family and medical leave requirements). The employee must submit a written request for adoption leave to the superintendent.

 

Bereavement

 

  1. Three days of leave may be used during each academic year for reasons of death in the immediate family.  These days will not be deducted from accumulated sick leave or personal leave.

 

  1. In the event of multiple deaths, additional days may be granted by the superintendent and these days will be charged to accumulated sick leave.

 

  1. Immediate family in this section will mean mother, father, husband, wife, daughter, son, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather, grandson, granddaughter, aunt, uncle, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandmother-in-law, grandfather-in-law, niece, or nephew. 

 

Board Policy GBRIF

 

Reimbursement for unused leave

  1. Unused sick leave, up to a maximum of 90 days, will be purchased at the time of retirement at the rate of substitute teacher pay for certified and classified personnel.

 

  1. A staff member must be eligible for retirement or disability retirement as defined by the South Carolina Retirement System and no longer be an active member of the retirement system.

 

Family and Medical Leave Act

  1. The board will provide leave to eligible employees consistent with the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA). Eligible employees are entitled to up to 12 workweeks of unpaid family and medical leave in any 12-month period.

 

  1. The district will continue to pay the district's share of the employee's health benefits during the leave. In addition, the district will restore the employee to the same or a similar position after the termination of the leave in accordance with board policy.

 

See Board Policy GBRIB and Administrative Regulations GBRI-R