Leave

Unused sick leave will be allowed to accumulate to an unlimited number of days.  Sick leave will be granted to each employee, each year, according to state law (10 day for 10 months, 11 days for 11 months, 12 days for 12 months).

No more than sixty (60) accumulated days can be transferred into the Claremore District from another school district within the state.

All accumulated sick leave may be used for employee accidental injury, illness, or pregnancy or immediate family accidental injury or illness.  (Immediate family is defined as spouse, parents, children, brother, and sister.)

2018, 1990, 1989, 1987, 1986, 1981, 1979, 1977

Each teacher shall be granted five (5) days emergency leave during each school year without loss of pay.  Emergency leave shall be defined as any leave which is of an urgent nature requiring immediate and timely attention within an unexpected set of circumstances, and when all other appropriate leave has been exhausted.  Verification may be required.

The emergency leave shall not be granted for the following:

a. A pleasure trip (conventions with  or without spouse, sporting events, shopping, etc.)

b. Any event which involves monetary gain to the teacher (exception – estate settlement of immediate family member).

c. An attempt to seek another job.

d. Inclement weather.

 
Procedure for application

The teacher will contact the building principal and obtain the appropriate form.  Request may be made and granted by telephone with the appropriate form being filed within one working day upon return to work.  If emergency leave is denied by the building principal, the teacher may appeal to the superintendent only.

2018, 1997, 1994, 1989, 1980

The Board of Education will provide up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave to employees who have been employed at least one year in this school district and have exhausted their leave options for the following reasons:

1. Birth, adoption or foster placement of a child by an employee

2. To care for a spouse, son, daughter, or parent who suffers from a serious                
 health condition

3. For a serious health condition the employee is experiencing.

 
If the superintendent deems it necessary or desirable, the employee may be required to provide certification from a physician of the necessity of any leave requested. 

The superintendent may require certification as to the date of the medical condition began, the anticipated duration, and prognosis.

The parties will comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act.  For application of this article, refer to board policy for clarification and administration of guidelines.

1994, 1993, 1977

Extended leaves of absence without pay may be granted for reasons stated in this section only after the employee has been employed by the Claremore School District for at least three years as a full-time contract employee.  Extended leaves of absence will not be granted to employees who do not meet the conditions or who fail to follow the procedures outlined in these items.  An employee requesting an extended leave of absence or renewal of a previously granted extended leave of absence shall submit a written request to the superintendent.  Such request shall designate the reason for such leave, and the beginning and terminal dates of the requested leave and shall be filed,  when possible, not less than one month prior to the beginning date of the requested leave of absence.  All extended leaves of absence shall expire automatically on June 30 of each year, subject to renewal.  If the position of the employee is eliminated during the first academic year of the extended leave of absence, the employee shall be returned to a substantially equivalent position.

 
Extended leaves of absence are granted in the following situations:

A. Infant Child Care
An employee may request an extended leave of absence in order to care for a newborn or adopted child in the immediate family.

B. Personal Illness
Requests for leaves of absence for personal illness, requests to return from such leaves, or requests to extend such leaves must be accompanied by physician’s statement.  The statement will indicate the nature of the illness and specifically state that the individual is unable to perform his\her assigned duties or other gainful employment.  The statement of return shall indicate that the employee has sufficiently recovered to resume normal duties.  Teachers on leave of absence for personal illness will not be permitted to substitute teach.

C. Caring for Sick Member of Immediate Family
Request for leave of absence to care for a sick member of the employee’s immediate family must be accompanied by a physician’s statement. Immediate family is defined as child, spouse, or parent.

D. Other
Extended leaves of absence for reasons other than those listed in  previous sections

A through D may be recommended by the Superintendent to the Board of Education when in judgment of the Superintendent such leave would be in the best interest of the school system and\or the teacher.

RETURN TO WORK

Approval to return from extended leave must be secured in advance of the requested date of return.  Requests should be in written form and directed to the Board of Education.

Requests to return from extended leave for personal illness or temporary disability must include a physician's release to return to work, stating that the employee has sufficiently recovered to resume normal duties.

If a request for a return or for the extension of an extended leave of absence has not been submitted in writing to the Superintendent prior to March 1 each year, the leave will lapse, and the individual’s employment will be deemed to have been terminated.

An employee who has taken a one-year leave of absence may return to the same position. An employee who has taken a leave of two years will be returned to a position for which he or she is qualified. 

2018, 1983, 1979

Each teacher will be granted three (3) days of personal leave during each school year without loss of pay.  Those three (3) days are permitted to be used in whole or half without restriction or limitation.  Upon notice to the immediate supervisor of intent, the leave shall be granted, without reason or explanation required.  Notice shall be given at least 24 hours prior to the date of leave.

The personal leave shall not be cumulative from one school year to the next.  Any of the three (3) unused personal leave days may be sold back to the district at $65 per full day or $32.50 per half day or may be rolled into additional accumulative sick leave.  Payment of personal leave day shall be made by separate warrant.

Unused personal days will be automatically rolled over into sick leave days unless a teacher notifies the business office otherwise.  Notification must be made in writing and sent to the personnel office within two (2) weeks of the beginning of the school year.

Forms will be placed in the CPS Google Team Drive.

Personal leave cannot be taken one day before or after the following holidays:  Labor Day, fall break, Thanksgiving break, winter break, spring break,  Memorial Day, or any other holiday during which school is not in session.          

     
2018, 1992, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1987, 1984

Three (3) days of personal business leave are available to each teacher at the substitute deduct rate.  Personal business leave shall be defined as days in which the teachers may conduct personal business that must be conduced at times when school is in session.  Personal business leave will not be granted for participation in non-educational political activities, social activities, seeking or interviewing for other employment, performing a service for wages, or participation in entertainment, travel, or recreation.

Prior approval from the superintendent must be obtained before personal business leave can be taken.

Personal business leave shall not be cumulative for one school year to the next.  

An annual accounting of accumulated  leave will be posted at each building site, including the following information:

1) accumulated sick leave

2) unused personal leave rolled into accumulated sick leave

3) accumulated sick leave brought from employment in other Oklahoma districts.

2018, 1993, 1992   

Each teacher shall be granted up to seven (7) working days bereavement leave without loss of pay  which shall apply to each occurrence of death to the immediate family. This includes the passing of an unborn child during pregnancy, including but not limited to miscarriage, stillbirth, and any emergencies related to the health of the mother. The teacher may request this leave as soon as the loss occurs or as deemed appropriate by the teacher’s specific medical circumstances. Leave will be granted upon notification of the loss.  

Immediate family shall be defined as related to the teacher by first degree or second degree of affinity or consanguinity including legal guardian.

Each teacher shall be granted up to two (2) days bereavement leave without loss of pay and which shall apply to each occurrence of death of any other family member.

When the occurrence of death to the immediate family involves a distance greater than 200 miles from Claremore, the teacher shall be granted up to seven  (7) bereavement days and two (2) travel days without loss of pay.

Personal days may be used in combination with bereavement days.  Emergency days may be applied for at the same time.

If emotionally distraught over death or injury, then the employee may request the bereavement be extended by the Superintendent.  Such extended leave will be charged as sick leave.

Degrees are defined as the following:  First degree – father, mother, husband, wife, and  children, including corresponding step relatives.  Second degree – grandfather, grandmother, brothers, sisters, father-in-law, mother-in-law, including corresponding step relatives.

In the event of the death of a non-family member, the teacher may submit a request, including arrangement details, to   administration or immediate supervisor who will have the final approval.

2023, 2018, 1997, 1996, 1992, 1989, 1986, 1982, 1980

The Claremore School District will provide a catastrophic sick leave bank in which it will provide one (1) day per year, per teacher, non accumulative.

Consideration for use of this bank will be made only after all accrued sick leave (L-1), sick leave benefit (L-10), emergency leave (L-2), and personal leave (L-5) have been exhausted by the applicant.  If the catastrophic leave is for the employee, the statutory emergency leave at substitute deduct rate must be exhausted before applying for the catastrophic leave.  If the catastrophic leave is for spouse, child, or parent, the 20 days statutory emergency leave at substitute deduct will not apply.

In order to be considered for catastrophic sick leave, written application must be made before or within thirty (30) days after all other above leaves have been exhausted.  Telephone request for application form shall serve as official notice that catastrophic leave is being requested and that the committee should be formed.

Within thirty  (30) days of application for catastrophic sick leave, the Superintendent or designee will schedule a hearing date for the committee to schedule a hearing date for the committee to consider the application.

The committee will be composed of the Superintendent or designee, the applicant’s building principal, the CCTA president or designee, and the applicant’s building representative.

The charges of the committee will be:

1. consideration of approval of application and

2. if approved, the number of days granted plus any stipulations or conditions.

Following the committee hearing, its findings will be announced and then reduced to writing and forwarded to the applicant.

The use of this bank shall be limited to a total of thirty (30) days per year, per teacher.

Catastrophic illness shall be defined as a debilitating or life-threatening disruption of the environment of the employee or employees’ immediate family (first degree – children, spouse, parents) which may or may not be terminal, and it may include life-threatening pregnancy complications that require hospitalization. 

Catastrophic may include but not be restricted to following:

1.  Organ transplant

2.  Cancer, excluding basal carcinoma or non-debilitating cancer

3.  By-pass surgery

4. Accidental injury involving long-term hospital confinement (longer than 10 days)

5. Illness involving long-term hospital confinement (longer than 10 days), plus rehabilitation time but not elective hospital confinement when such  confinement can be scheduled during school break or during the summer.

6. Hospital confinement of children living in the home (illness of serious nature, not elective surgery.)

7. Heart attack

8. Stroke

 
2021, 2018, 1989, 1986, 1985

Any teacher expecting to have prolonged absence for personal accidental injury, illness, or pregnancy or family accidental injury or illness shall have a conference with the Superintendent to clarify the loss of salary conditions.

If, after exhausting all applicable leaves (L-1, L-2, L-3, L-5, L-7, and L-9), a teacher is absent from his/her duties due to personal accidental injury, illness or pregnancy, or family accidental injury or illness, the teacher shall receive for a period of not to exceed twenty (20) days his/her full contract salary less the amount:

1. actually paid a certified substitute for his/her position if a certified substitute is hired at an amount not to exceed the B-5 level on the salary schedule;

2. normally paid a certified substitute for his/her position if a certified substitute is not hired.

 
2018, 1989, 1987

The Claremore School District shall provide an additional ten (10) days of sick leave for:

1. continuous long-term personal illness, accidental injury, or pregnancy

2. continuous long-term family member illness.

The teacher will qualify for this benefit when all accumulated sick leave has been exhausted .  This will be available prior to the use of emergency leave provided by the State of Oklahoma in Sec. 116, School Laws of Oklahoma.

This leave benefit may be taken in whole or part as needed.

2018, 1989, 1987

A teacher may transfer a combination of his/her personal days and/or accumulated unused sick days up to three (3) days to a specific colleague who has exhausted all other leaves available through the negotiated agreement. The school board may authorize additional days.

Names of participants will remain confidential.

The school district will record these designated days to exactly match days used by the recipient.  The transfer of days will be made via the designated transfer form available through the Superintendent's office.

This item conforms to state statute (70-6-104.6).

2018, 2000, 1990

Full-time employees of the district who have been employed by the district for at least one year and who have worked at least 1,250 hours during the preceding 12-month period  shall be entitled to six (6) weeks of paid maternity leave following the birth of the employee's child. The six (6) weeks of paid maternity leave shall be used immediately following the birth of the employee's child. The six (6) weeks of maternity leave shall be in addition to and not in place of sick leave due to pregnancy pursuant to 70 O.S. Sections 6-140. A district employee taking maternity leave pursuant to state law shall not be deprived of any compensation or other benefits to which the employee is otherwise entitled. The district shall file claims with the State Board of Education for reimbursement of expenses related to providing eligible employees with paid maternity leave. With regard to any shared sick leave program which is currently offered or which may be offered in the future by the district, provided maternity leave must be used prior to any shared sick leave available under the district's program.

2023