FILE: GBRIC
MATERNITY AND ADOPTIVE LEAVE
MATERNITY LEAVE
The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board shall grant regular employees leave without pay for maternity purposes for a reasonable period of time before and after the birth of a child. Reasonable period of time means that period during which the female employee is disabled on account of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. What constitutes a reasonable time for maternity leave is within the discretion of the School Board as long as such policies as the School Board may establish are not unreasonable or arbitrary. Regular employees, for purposes of this policy, shall mean teachers serving under contract (not to include substitute teachers or teachers replacing others on leave) and other female employees who are employed by the School Board on a regular basis. Such leave shall be granted upon proper application to the School Board for maternity leave.
The granting of such leaves does not affect any tenure rights which the teacher may have acquired prior to the granting of maternity leave. Maternity leave does not interrupt the consecutive teaching semester requirement to gain sabbatical leave.
Employees may be permitted to use current and accumulated sick leave days in lieu of maternity leave upon proper request. The period of disability for which sick leave may be used shall be determined by the employee’s physician, in conjunction with the employee and appropriate school personnel, and submitted to the School Board in writing.
Each teacher granted maternity leave in accordance with state law who has no remaining sick leave days available may also be granted up to thirty (30) days of extended sick leave in each six-year period of employment in accordance with policy GBRIB, Sick Leave.
Application
A pregnant employee may remain on the job as long as she is performing her duties competently as determined by her immediate supervisor. The employee shall fill out a Maternity Leave Request form, giving as much advance notice as possible, but in no case less than thirty (30) days prior to the beginning date of leave, except in emergency situations. The form must be accompanied by a statement from a physician verifying the state of pregnancy and expected dates of disability due to pregnancy. Such certificate shall follow the same standards as for submission of certificates for sick leave as found under Certification of Absence in policy GBRIB, Sick Leave. Failure to comply with the notice and other requirements of this policy may be considered willful neglect of duty and may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.
ADOPTIVE LEAVE
The School Board shall grant leaves of absence not to exceed thirty (30) days to regular employed teachers after the legal adoption of a child. If multiple children are adopted on the same date, the event shall be considered a single qualifying event. The granting of such leave shall not affect any of the tenure rights with the teacher may have acquired under state law.
Each teacher granted adoptive leave in accordance with state law who has no remaining sick leave days available may also be granted up to thirty (30) days of extended sick leave in each six-year period of employment for personal illness related to illness of an infant, or for required medical visits certified by a physician as relating to infant health.
Adoptive leave shall not interrupt the consecutive service for sabbatical leave purposes.
Adopted: September 21, 1978
Revised: December, 2018
Revised: March 16, 2023
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:1171, 17:1211, 23:334, 23:341, 23:342
Board minutes, 9-21-78, 3-16-23
St. John the Baptist Parish School Board