FILE: GBRK
ANNUAL LEAVE
The Avoyelles Parish School Board may grant all 12-month full-time employees annual leave in order to provide an employee with paid time off away from his/her job. Such time may be used for personal business or traditional vacation.
DEFINITIONS:
Full-time employees shall be defined as twelve-month employees working in a job classification that requires twelve months of work.
Annual leave shall be leave with pay granted an employee for the purpose of rehabilitation, restoration and maintenance of work efficiency, or transaction of personal affairs.
ANNUAL LEAVE REGULATIONS:
Daily attendance and leave records shall be maintained for employees eligible to accrue annual leave.
Except in cases of emergency, annual leave must be applied for and approved by an employee's supervisor in advance. Approval or denial of annual leave shall be based on work load or other factors affecting the need for leave. Application shall be made to the immediate supervisor as per established guidelines.
Effective December 4, 2002, the granting of annual leave shall be based on the equivalent of years of full-time service and shall be credited to the employee at the end of each calendar month in accordance with the following schedule:
Less than three years of service, at the rate of 1 day per month - 12 annual days.
Three years but less than five years of service, at the rate of 1.25 days per month - 15 annual days.
Five years but less than ten years of service, at the rate of 1.50 days per month - 18 annual days.
Ten years but less than fifteen years of service, at the rate of 1.75 days per month - 21 annual days.
Fifteen or more years of service, at the rate of 2 days per month - 24 annual days.
The appropriate supervisor shall arrange leave schedules based on the desires of the employee, insofar as his/her department is not stripped of employees to the point it would cripple the necessary work of that department. Employees taking annual leave shall abide by the following:
Annual leave/vacation time shall not be taken the week prior to the opening or closing of school, except in extenuating circumstances. This request may be waived in extenuating circumstances, as determined by the Superintendent.
Three (3) days notice shall be given prior to taking one (1) week or more annual leave/vacation time, except in extenuating circumstances. This requirement may be waived by the Superintendent in extenuating circumstances.
Employees who break service, withdraw their retirement contributions, and are re-employed shall be treated as new employees as it relates to annual leave accumulation.
Employees who break service, leave their retirement contributions with the retirement system, and are re-employed shall be given credit for prior years of service as it pertains to annual leave accumulation.
Annual leave earned shall be posted to the employee’s leave account at the end of each fiscal year. Any unused days will be lost at the end of the subsequent fiscal year, except upon retirement as stated in the Compensation Upon Termination of Employment section below. Bank days (days accrued under the 1981 policy prior to December 4, 2002) are capped at a maximum of 37½ days.
The Superintendent shall have final authority for approving an annual leave request.
COMPENSATION UPON TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT
Full-time, 12-month employees with accumulated unused annual leave, upon resignation, termination, or retirement may select any combination of the following options:
Employees with accrued annual leave days prior to the effective date of amended policy: Upon resignation, termination, retirement or upon participation in the DROP program, employees may elect to be paid their daily rate of pay for two-thirds (⅔) (2 for 3 days) unused accrued annual leave days from 8/18/81 with the option to use the third day or add it to retirement. During the last year of employment, employees have the option of being paid one per one for days accrued and unused for the prior fiscal year.
Employees with accrued annual leave days from the effective date of amended policy: Upon resignation, termination, retirement, or upon participation in the DROP program, employees may elect to be paid in full for the total number of days of accrued annual leave for the previous fiscal year and prior fiscal year of employment at the daily rate of pay up to a maximum of 48 days, or the employee may choose to use any accumulated annual leave day, or convert any unused accumulated annual leave to service credit for retirement purposes, in which case such conversion shall be governed by applicable statutes and/or rules of the respective retirement system. In addition, any bank days accrued as a result of previous policies shall be paid one per one for days accrued with a maximum of 37 ½ days.
Employees who have retired three (3) years prior to the effective date of this policy shall be included in this policy.
Any unused annual leave at the time of separation (termination, resignation, retirement, entrance into DROP, or death) shall be paid to the employee or his/her heirs on or before the next regular payday for the pay cycle during which the employee was working at the time of separation or no later than fifteen (15) days following the date of separation, whichever occurs first, at the employee's daily rate of pay.
Revised: April, 2001
Revised: November, 2001
Revised: November, 2003
Revised: May 6, 2014
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§11:754, 11:786, 11:788, 17:81, 17:425.1, 23:631
Baudouin v. Vermillion Parish School Board, 692 So.2d. 1216 (1997)
Beard v. Summit Institute, 707 So.2d. 1233 (1998)
Picard v. Vermillion Parish School Board, 742 So.2d. 589 (1999)
Board minutes, 1-1-74, 8-18-81, 1-26-99, 3-6-01, 5-6-14
Avoyelles Parish School Board