Policy No.	5401
	Adoption Date:	July 11, 1984
	Revised:	November 27, 2000

PERSONNEL SICK LEAVE

The district shall grant each full-time, certificated and classified staff member of the district up to 12 sick leave days annually. Unused sick leave may be accumulated on a year-to-year basis up to a maximum of the number of contract days in a contract period, not to exceed one year.

The district may require a signed statement from a physician for any absence in excess of five consecutive days. If sick leave benefits are exhausted, the board may grant leave without pay for the balance of the year upon the recommendation of the superintendent.

Attendance Incentive. In January of the year following any year in which a minimum of 60 days of sick leave is accrued, and each January thereafter, any eligible staff member may exercise an option either:

(1) to receive remuneration for unused sick accumulated in the previous year in an amount equal to one day's monetary compensation of the staff member for each four full days of accrued sick leave in excess of 60 days; or

(2) to add that year's sick leave to the staff member's accumulated sick leave.

All such leave for which the staff member receives compensation shall be deducted from accumulated sick leave at the rate of four days for every one day's monetary compensation.

A staff member may cash-out all accrued sick leave at the above rate at the time of separation due to retirement, provided that the retiree provides documentation from the appropriate state retirement system. Such leave shall be accrued at the rate of no more than one day per month.

The administrator of the estate of a deceased staff member may also cash-out all accumulated sick leave at the rate of one day's monetary compensation for every four days of leave. A certified copy of the death certificate must be submitted to the district office or proper documentation of court appointment as administrator of the estate.

An employee who is at least fifty-five, has ten years of service in the retirement system and is a member of either the teachers' or school employees' retirement system plan 3, or is at least age fifty-five, has at least fifteen years of service in the retirement system and is a member of either the teachers' or school employees' retirement system plan 2 may cash-out all accumulated sick leave at the rate of one day's monetary compensation for every four days of leave.

Earned sick leave shall not be accumulated in excess of 180 days as of December 31 of each year, except that an employee may exercise the annual January cash-out option for all days accumulated in excess of the maximum.

Legal References:

RCW	28A.400.210	Employee attendance incentive program--Remuneration for unused sick leave
	28A.400.300	Hiring and discharging employees--Leaves for employees--Seniority and leave benefits, retention upon transfers between schools
WAC	392-136	Conversion of Accumulated Sick Leave
AGO	6498.00 - 1963-64 No. 98	Sick leave for certificated and noncertificated employees
AGO	8022.00 - 1980 No. 22	Limitation on compensated leave for school district employees