Temporary employees and substitute teachers who regularly work at least 12 hours in a week (even if, on occasion, the employee works less than 12 hours in a week), will accrue 1 hour of sick and safe leave for every 30 hours that the employee works.

Pursuant to the Act, City Schools employees who regularly work at least 12 hours per week may use earned leave for the following “sick and safe” purposes:

To care for or treat the employee’s mental or physical illness, injury or condition;
To obtain preventative medical care for the employee or the employee’s family member;
To care for a family member with a mental or physical illness, injury or condition;
For maternity or paternity leave; or
The absence from work is necessary due to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking committed against the employee or the employee’s family member and the leave is being used: (1) to obtain medical or mental health attention; (2) to obtain services from a victim services organization; (3) for legal services or proceedings; or (4) because the employee has temporarily relocated as a result of the domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.

Employees may only use earned sick and safe leave for one of these authorized reasons, subject to all other eligibility requirements of the MHWFA, including the required notification and verification provisions.

City Schools employees may not earn more than 40 hours of sick and safe leave in a year; accrue more than 64 hours at any time; or use more than 64 hours of earned sick and safe leave in a fiscal year. If an employee has unused earned sick and safe leave at the end of the year, the employee may carry over the balance of the earned sick and safe leave to the following year, up to a 40-hour carryover maximum.

When the need to use sick and safe leave is foreseeable, employees must make a request to use the leave 7 days in advance. If the need to use earned sick and safe leave is not foreseeable, employees should notify their supervisor as soon as practicable and generally comply with any notice or procedural requirements for requesting or reporting leave usage. If the use of sick and safe leave meets the requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act, they will run concurrently.

The provisions of this program are subject to change by City Schools in accordance with state law and consistent with state guidance.

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