EXHIBIT "A"
PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL SABBATICALS
It shall be the policy of the School Board, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent, to grant sabbatical leaves in conformity with the School Laws of Pennsylvania and subject to rules and regulations approved by the Board. The authority for this policy and the accompanying Rules and Regulations is derived from Sections 1166-1171 of the Public School Code of 1949, as amended.
1. Any person employed in the Western Wayne School District who has completed ten (10) years of satisfactory service as a professional employee or member of the supervisory, instructional or administrative staff, or as a commissioned officer, of any board of school directors or any part of the public school system of the Commonwealth, shall be entitled to a leave of absence for restoration of health, or professional development, or, at the discretion of Western Wayne Board of School Directors, for other purposes. At least five consecutive years of service shall have been in the Western Wayne School District, unless the Board of Directors in its discretion allows a shorter time.
2. The leave of absence may be for a half or full school term or for two half school terms during a period of two years, at the option of the applicant. Thereafter, one leave of absence shall be allowed after each seven additional years of service.
3. If the leave of absence is requested because of illness of the employee, a leave shall be granted for a period equivalent to a half or full school term or equivalent to two half school terms during a period of two years. If the leave of absence for one half school term or its equivalent has been granted and the employee is unable to return to school service because of illness or physical disability, the employee, upon written request prior to the expiration of the original leave, shall be entitled to a further sabbatical leave for one half school term or its equivalent.
4. Applications for leaves of absence shall be given preference according to the years of service since the previous sabbatical leave of the applicant, benefits expected to accrue to the school system, least possible disruption of the school program, general welfare of the employee concerned and other regulations adopted by the Board of School Directors. The number of sabbatical leaves of absence granted in any school year shall be limited to ten (10) percent of the number of persons eligible for such leaves of absence regularly employed in the Western Wayne School District.
5. The employee on leave of absence shall receive one-half of his or her regular salary during the period he or she is on sabbatical leave and will be considered on leave of absence without pay from all other school activities.
6. The employee, while on sabbatical leave of absence, shall be considered to be in regular full-time daily attendance in the position from which the sabbatical leave was taken for the purpose of determining length of service and the right to receive increments as provided by law. The employee shall continue membership in the Public Employees' Retirement System as follows: The School District shall pay into the Public School Employees' Retirement System on behalf of each such employee leave, in addition to the contributions required by law to be made by it, the full amount of the contribution required by law to be paid by the employee as though said employee were actually in regular full-time daily attendance in the position from which the sabbatical leave was taken so that such employee's retirement rights shall be in no way affected such leave of absence. The amount of the contribution required to be paid by the employee shall be deducted from any compensation payable to the employee while on leave.
7. No sabbatical leave of absence shall be granted unless the employee shall agree to return to his or her employment with the Western Wayne School District for a period of not less than one school term immediately following such leave of absence. If the employee fails to do so, unless prevented by illness or physical disability, the employee shall forfeit all benefits, including salary, to which he/she would have been entitled for the period of his/her sabbatical leave of absence. If the employee resigns or fails to return to employment, the amount contributed by the District to the Public School Employees' Retirement System shall be deducted from the refund payable to the employee and the amount so deducted will be refunded to the Western Wayne School District.
PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL
SABBATICAL LEAVE RULES AND REGULATIONS
1. A request for sabbatical leave of absence shall be submitted on the District form "Application for Sabbatical Leave," to the Superintendent.
2. The application should be received by the Superintendent at the earliest possible date but in any event no later than forty-five (45) days prior to the date the requested leave would start, except that requests for sabbatical leave of absence for restoration of health may be submitted as necessary.
3. Employees seeking approval for a leave for professional development shall be governed by the provisions of Section 1166.1 of the School Code as amended. A committee composed of an equal number of Association and District representatives shall review all professional development leave applications and make recommendations to the Board concerning each proposed leave. Representatives of the District will be appointed by the District and representatives of the Association will be appointed by the Association.
4. Employees who request sabbatical leave for restoration of health must submit an application on the District form accompanied by a medical statement giving the nature of the illness or disability and attesting to the need for the leave.
5. The employee on sabbatical leave is expected to devote his/her primary efforts to accomplish the purpose for which the leave was granted.
6. Paychecks shall be mailed to the employee's home address unless other arrangements are made by the employee before going on leave.
7. Employees granted sabbatical leave will continue to be covered by the District's group insurance plans.
8. Sick leave and personal days will not accrue during the year or pro-rata portion of the year on leave of absence.
9. Failure to comply with the above regulations during the sabbatical leave may result in the termination of the leave and/or withholding of the employee's paychecks.
10. The employee must reimburse the District for any salary paid or benefits costs while on leave if he/she fails to return to employment for a period equal to a full school term (year).
WESTERN WAYNE BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS
APPLICATION FOR SABBATICAL LEAVE
1.
Name Position/Assignment School Building
2. Date(s) of prior sabbatical leave(s)
3. Period to be covered by this sabbatical leave:
_____First Semester /______ school term
_____Second Semester /______ school term
_____Other (explain)
4. Purpose of this sabbatical leave:
_____Restoration of Health: Attached hereto is a medical statement attesting to the nature of my illness/disability and need for leave.
_____Professional Development: Attached hereto is a proposed program of study.
5. I understand that this application is made in conformance with the provisions for sabbatical leave as outlined in the Pennsylvania School Code and School Board Policy and Regulations as adopted. I signify by my signature that I agree to:
(a) return to my employment with the Western Wayne Board of School Directors for a period equal to a full school term (year) immediately following the sabbatical leave of absence, unless prevented by illness or disability, and
(b) reimburse the Western Wayne Board of School Directors for any salary and benefits costs received by me if I fail to fulfill the requirements and conditions for which my sabbatical leave is approved.
Date Signed by
APPROVED:
Date Signed by