MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1998 Regular Session

To: Education

By: Representative Manning

House Bill 225

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-7-307, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE SCHOOL EMPLOYEES, IN THEIR DISCRETION, TO BE PAID FOR ALL UNUSED ACCUMULATED LEAVE UPON RETIREMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-7-307, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-7-307. (1) For purposes of this section, the term "certificated employee" shall mean any employee of a public school district required to hold a valid certificate by the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Development.

(2) The school board of a school district shall establish by rules and regulations a policy of sick leave with pay for certificated employees employed in the school district, and such policy shall include the following minimum provisions for sick and emergency leave with pay:

(a) Each certificated employee, at the beginning of each school year, shall be credited with a minimum sick leave allowance, with pay, of seven (7) days for absences caused by illness or physical disability of the employee during that school year.

(b) Any unused portion of the total sick leave allowance shall be carried over to the next school year and credited to such certificated employee if the certificated employee remains employed in the same school district. In the event any public school certificated employee transfers from one public school district in Mississippi to another, any unused portion of the total sick leave allowance credited to such certificated employee shall be credited to such certificated employee in the computation of unused leave for retirement purposes under Section 25-11-109. Accumulation of sick leave allowed under this section shall be unlimited.

(c) No deduction from the pay of such certificated employee may be made because of absence of such certificated employee caused by illness or physical disability of the certificated employee until after all sick leave allowance credited to such certificated employee has been used.

(d) For the first ten (10) days of absence of a certificated employee because of illness or physical disability, in any school year, in excess of the sick leave allowance credited to such certificated employee, there may be deducted from the pay of such certificated employee the established substitute amount of certificated employee compensation paid in that local school district, necessitated because of the absence of the certificated employee as a result of illness or physical disability. Thereafter, the regular pay of such absent certificated employee may be suspended and withheld in its entirety for any period of absence because of illness or physical disability during that school year.

(3) Beginning with the school year 1983-1984, each certificated employee at the beginning of each school year shall be credited with a minimum personal leave allowance, with pay, of two (2) days for absences caused by personal reasons during that school year. Such personal leave shall not be taken on the first day of the school term, the last day of the school term, on a day previous to a holiday or a day after a holiday. Personal leave may be used for professional purposes, including absences caused by attendance of such certificated employee at a seminar, class, training program, professional association or other functions designed for educators. No deduction from the pay of such certificated employee may be made because of absence of such certificated employee caused by personal reasons until after all personal leave allowance credited to such certificated employee has been used. However, the superintendent of a school district, in his discretion, may allow a certificated employee personal leave in addition to any minimum personal leave allowance, under the condition that there shall be deducted from the salary of such certificated employee the actual amount of any compensation paid to any person as a substitute, necessitated because of the absence of the certificated employee.

(4) Beginning with the school year 1992-1993, each certificated employee shall be credited with a professional leave allowance, with pay, for each day of absence caused by reason of such employee's statutorily required membership and attendance at a regular or special meeting held within the State of Mississippi of the State Board of Education, the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Development, the Commission on School Accreditation, the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television and the meetings of the state textbook rating committees.

(5) Upon retirement from employment, each certificated and noncertificated employee may be paid, in the employee's discretion, for all unused accumulated leave earned while employed by the school district in which the employee is last employed. Such payment for certificated employees shall be made by the school district at a rate equal to the amount paid to substitute teachers and for noncertificated employees, the payment shall be made by the school district at a rate equal to the federal minimum wage. The payment shall be treated in the same manner for retirement purposes as a lump sum payment for personal leave as provided in Section 25-11-103(e). Any remaining lawfully credited unused leave, for which payment has not been made, shall be certified to the Public Employees' Retirement System in the same manner and subject to the same limitations as otherwise provided by law for unused leave.

(6) The school board may adopt rules and regulations which will reasonably aid to implement the policy of sick and personal leave, including, but not limited to, rules and regulations having the following general effect:

(a) Requiring the absent certificated employee to furnish the certificate of a physician or dentist or other medical practitioner as to the illness of the absent certificated employee, where the absence is for four (4) or more consecutive school days, or for two (2) consecutive school days immediately preceding or following a nonschool day;

(b) Providing penalties, by way of full deduction from salary, or entry on the work record of the certificated employee, or other appropriate penalties, for any materially false statement by the certificated employee as to the cause of absence;

(c) Forfeiture of accumulated or future sick leave, if the absence of the certificated employee is caused by optional dental or medical treatment or surgery which could, without medical risk, have been provided, furnished or performed at a time when school was not in session;

(d) Enlarging, increasing or providing greater sick or personal leave allowances than the minimum standards established by this section in the discretion of the school board of each school district.

(7) * * * School boards may include in their budgets provisions for the payment of substitute teachers, necessitated because of the absence of regular certificated employees. All such substitute teachers shall be paid wholly from district funds other than minimum education program funds. Such school boards are further authorized and empowered, in their discretion, to pay, from district funds other than minimum education program funds, the whole or any part of the salaries of certificated employees granted leaves for the purpose of special studies or training.

(8) The school board may further adopt rules and regulations which will reasonably implement such leave policies for all other noncertificated school employees as the board deems appropriate.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1998.