Eligibility. Employees who have been employed by the district for at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months immediately preceding the need for leave are eligible for family and medical leave. Eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year between July 1 and June 30 for the following reasons:

•The birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child
•To care for a spouse, parent, or child with a serious health condition
•An employee’s serious health condition
•A qualifying exigency resulting from active military service of a spouse, child, or parent

A husband and wife who are both employed by the district are subject to limits in the amount of leave that they can take to care for a parent with a serious health condition or for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child; or to care for a covered military service member.

Military service family leave. An eligible employee is entitled to leave to care for an active duty military service member who incurs a serious illness or injury in the line of duty. The service member must be the employee’s spouse, child, parent, or next of kin. An eligible employee may take up to 26 weeks on a one-time basis to provide care to a covered service member.

Continuation of benefits and job restoration. Eligible employees are entitled to continue their health care benefits under the same terms and conditions as when they were on the job and are entitled to return to their previous job or an equivalent job at the end of their leave. Under some circumstances, teachers who are able to return to work at or near the conclusion of a semester may be required to continue their leave until the end of the semester.

Use of paid leave. Family and medical leave runs concurrently with accrued sick and personal leave, temporary disability leave, and absences due to a work-related illness or injury. The district will designate the leave as family and medical leave, if applicable, and notify the employee that accumulated leave will run concurrently.

Intermittent leave. In some circumstances, employees may take family and medical leave in blocks of time or by reducing their normal weekly or daily work schedule. Intermittent leave may be taken under the following circumstances:

•An employee is needed to care for a seriously ill spouse, child, or parent
•An employee requires medical treatment for a serious illness
•An employee is seriously ill and unable to work
•An employee becomes a parent or has a foster child placed in his or her home

Requests for FMLA. When the need for family and medical leave is foreseeable, employees must provide 30 days advance notice to the district. When the need for leave is not foreseeable, employees must contact the personnel office as soon as possible. Employees may be required to provide the following:

•Medical certification from a qualified health care provider supporting the need for leave due to a serious health condition affecting the employee or an immediate family member
•Second or third medical opinions and periodic recertification of the need for leave
•Periodic reports during the leave regarding the employee’s status and intent to return to work
•Medical certification from a qualified health care provider at the conclusion of leave of an employee’s ability to return to work
•Certification of the need for family military leave

Employees requiring family and medical leave should contact the personnel office for details on eligibility, requirements, and limitations.