ARTICLE 14 - EXTENDED LEAVES OF ABSENCE
  1. The Board agrees that up to one (1) teacher designated by the Association may, upon request, be granted a leave of absence, without pay, for up to one (1) year for the purpose of engaging in activities of the Association, its affiliates, or any recognized professional improvement group.
  2. A leave of absence, without pay, of up to two (2) years may be granted to any employee who: (a) joins the Peace Corps, VISTA, or National Teachers' Corps; (b) serves as an exchange or overseas teacher; or (c) accepts a Fullbright Scholarship.
  3. Military leave without pay shall be granted to any employee who is inducted, or enlists following notification of induction, and may be granted to any employee who requests leave to enlist in any branch of the armed forces of the United States for the period of this induction or initial enlistment or to the spouse of any employee who is so inducted to join the employee for a period of special training in preparation for duty in combat zones.
  4. The Board shall grant disability leave to any teacher, upon request, subject to the following stipulations:
    1. Leave shall commence and terminate on dates selected by the teacher and have a maximum duration of two (2) years.
    2. The teacher shall submit a request for leave, in writing, to the Superintendent stating the nature of the disability and the beginning and ending dates of leave.
    3. Any teacher granted leave, without pay, in accordance with this section may elect to use all or part of the teacher's accumulated sick leave during the period of leave, thus receiving full pay during that portion of leave. The teacher shall notify the Superintendent, in writing, that the teacher elects this option indicating the number of accumulated sick leave days to be used.
    4. No teacher shall be required to leave the teacher's duties because of a disability at any specific time prior to the disability nor be prevented from returning to the teacher's duties solely on the grounds that there had not been a time lapse of specific duration between termination of the disability and the desired date of return.
    5. The Bord shall not remove any teacher from duties unless the teacher cannot produce a certificate from a physician stating that the teacher is medically able to continue teaching.
    6. The Board shall not be obliged to grant or extend a leave of absence of any non-tenured employee beyond the end of the contract school year in which the leave is obtained.
    7. When the disability is due to pregnancy the teacher may elect to continue to perform her duties in accordance with Sections 3 and 4 above. The period of such an absence will be deemed the same as that for any other physical disability and she will be entitled to her annual and accumulated sick leave, with pay, during the period of her absence.
  5. The Board shall, upon request, grant leave without pay, for a maximum of two (2) years to any teacher who adopts a child. The leave shall commence upon the teacher's receiving de facto custody of the child or earlier, if necessary to fulfill the requirements of adoption. Such leaves shall be granted pursuant to Paragraph J, below.
  6. The Board shall, upon request, grant leave without pay, for a maximum of two (2) years to any teacher for purposes of child rearing. The leave shall commence with the birth of the child. Such leaves shall be granted pursuant to Paragraph J, below.
  7. A leave of absence, without pay, of up to one (1) year may be granted for the purpose of caring for a sick member of the employee's immediate family, as defined in Article 13, Paragraph D. Additional leave may be granted at the discretion of the Board.
  8. The Board may grant leave of absence, without pay, to any employee to campaign for a candidate for public office or to campaign for, or serve in, public office.
  9. Other leaves of absence, without pay, may be granted by the Board for good reason.
  10. Any voluntary leave of absence which is unrelated to a disbility and extends for more than fifteen (15) consecutive school days must terminate on either January 31 or June 30.
  11. All benefits to which an employee was entitled at the time the leave commenced, including accumulated sick leave, shall be restored upon the employee's return. The employee shall be assigned to a position, if available, comparable to the one held at the time leave commenced.



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