District Policy
1333 - Association Leave
Personnel Administration Washington County School District-Approved 10-1-02
1. Purpose:
The purpose of this policy is to provide criteria, a timeline, and requirements for District employees to apply for paid leave for professional association activities. This policy implements requirements of UCA § 53G-11-206.
2. Policy:
2.1. Definitions:
2.1.1. The term "association" has the meaning given in policy 1600.
2.1.2. The term "association leave" means leave from a School District employee's regular school responsibilities granted for that employee to spend time for association or union duties.
2.1.3. The term "directly benefiting education" means teacher development activities or events that clearly promote education by virtue of improving instructional methodology, teaching approaches, assessment, or learning activities at training workshops, conferences, courses, training meetings, and related group or committee work activities. "Directly benefiting education" activities also includes participation at District Board meetings. The Superintendent may approve other related activities or events that meet this objective, but are not herein specified.
2.2. School District funds will only be used to pay for association leave that is clearly documented to directly benefit education within the District.
2.3. Eligibility Paid Association Leave. A District employee shall satisfy all of the following criteria in order to be considered for paid association leave:
2.3.1. Must be the elected president of the approved association or serving in the absence of the president as his or her designee.2.3.2. There shall be no disciplinary action of any kind in effect within the current or past school year.
2.3.3. All activities performed by employees using paid association leave must directly benefit education within the School District.
2.3.4. Association leave must not be used to engage in political activity, including: actively campaigning for candidates for public office in partisan and nonpartisan elections; and fundraising for political organizations, political parties, or candidates.
2.4. Limits:
2.4.1. The cumulative total of all paid association leave shall not exceed one day per month, unless such leave is administratively requested by the District or mandated by Board policy. The Superintendent may approve additional association leave as an exigency of District service.
2.5. Approval:
2.5.1. Employees will use District form 515 to document education benefits and advanced approval.
2.5.2. All association leave, both paid and unpaid, must be reviewed and approved by the school principal and the Superintendent.
2.5.3. Approval must be documented and account for the costs and expenses of paid association leave.
2.5.4. Requests must be submitted to the principal at least one week before the association leave is to be used with receipt to the Superintendent no later than three days before the association leave is to be used.
2.5.5. Approved association leave that is not deemed to provide a direct benefit to education within the School District will result in a deduction for the cost of the substitute from the employee's salary.
2.6. Violations, to include all association leave that fails to meet approval requirements, will result in a full deduction from the employee's salary and will result in disciplinary action in accordance with District Policy 1450 and UCA § 53G-11-513.