A. A district employee is eligible to receive donated leave if the following conditions are met:

1. The staff member:

a. suffers from, or has a relative or household member suffering from, an extraordinary or severe illness, injury, impairment or physical or mental condition;

b. is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking;

c. needs time for parental leave;

d. is sick or temporarily disabled because of pregnancy; or

e. has been called to service in the uniformed services.
 

2. The staff member’s condition or circumstance has caused or is likely to cause the staff member to:

a. go on leave-without-pay status; or

b. terminate his/her employment;
 

3. The staff member’s absence and the use of shared leave are justified by documentation;
 

4. The staff member has depleted, or will shortly deplete, his/her annual leave and sick leave reserves (a staff member who is sick or temporarily disabled because of pregnancy or using parent leave does not have to deplete all annual and sick leave reserves; he or she can maintain up to 40 hours of annual leave and 40 hours of sick leave in reserve);
 

5. The staff member has abided by district rules regarding sick leave use; and
 

6. The staff member has diligently pursued and been found to be ineligible to receive industrial insurance benefits (only applies to A. 1. a.).
 

B. The superintendent or designee shall determine the amount of leave, if any, which a staff member may receive under this policy. However, a staff member shall not receive more leave than the number of contracted days remaining in the current school year. In the event that the condition requiring the employee’s absence continues beyond the current school year, the employee shall not receive a total of more than 522 days of donated leave during total district employment.

 

C. District employees may donate leave as follows:

1. A staff member who has an accrued annual vacation leave balance of more than ten (10) days may request that the superintendent or designee transfer a specified number of hours to another person authorized to receive shared leave, or to the district’s annual leave pool. A staff member may not request leave to be transferred that would result in an accrued annual leave balance of fewer than ten (10) days after the transfer.

2. A staff member who has an accrued sick leave balance of more than twenty-two (22) days may request that the superintendent or designee transfer a specified number of hours to another person authorized to receive shared leave, or to the district’s annual leave pool. A staff member may not request leave to be transferred that would result in an accrued sick leave balance of fewer than twenty-two (22) days after the transfer. Sick leave as defined in RCW 28A.400.300 means leave for illness, injury and emergencies.

 

D. Any leave donated by a staff member which remains unused shall remain in the donation pool until needed.

 

E. Leave will be calculated on an hour-donated and hour-received basis.  For example, if an employee donates one hour of leave to a staff member or leave pool, the recipient or pool would have available one hour of leave.
 

Highline School District 401
Adopted by the Superintendent: January 10, 1990
Revised by the Superintendent: 01.91, 07.96, 08.00, 06.04, 06.06, 03.19