(A) Court/civil leave. Time away from work, with pay is allowed to permanent employees for jury duty as well as complying with subpoenas by any judicial or administrative body. Temporary employees are allowed time without pay, for attendance in court. Any monetary compensation for jury duty will be returned to the employer.
(B) Professional training leave. With prior approval, the Board will grant a leave of absence with pay to employees who wish to attend conferences, training institutes, seminars, workshops or training courses which are directly related to their job or the acquisition of specific skills and understandings necessary for improved job performance.
(C) Family bereavement leave.
(1) Full-time employees may take three days of paid bereavement leave for the death of employee's parents, spouse, children, brother, sister, grandparents, parents-in-laws, brother or sister-in-law, grandchildren; including stepparents, children, brother, sister, grandchildren and in-laws; or wards of guardianship. Employees may take one day of paid bereavement leave for the death of an aunt, uncle, niece or nephew and time of the funeral for a friend.
(2) Eligible employees (as that term is defined in Section 101(2) of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, 29 U.S.C. 2601, et seq.) are also entitled to take a maximum of two weeks (ten working days) of unpaid bereavement leave for the reasons described below.
(3) (a) Employees may take leave for the following reasons relating to the death of a covered family member:
1. To attend the funeral or alternative to a funeral of a covered family member;
2. To make arrangements necessitated by the death of a covered family member; or
3. To grieve the death of a covered family member.
(b) In the event of the death of more than one covered family member in a 12-month period, an employee is entitled to up to a total of six weeks of bereavement leave during the 12-month period.
(c) When an employee takes leave for reasons listed under division (C)(3)(a) above, DeWitt County may require reasonable documentation, including a death certificate, a published obituary, or written verification of death, burial, or memorial services from a mortuary, funeral home, burial society, crematorium, religious institution or government agency.
(4) (a) Employees may take leave for the following reasons relating to pregnancy, fertility, adoption, and surrogacy:
1. Due to a miscarriage;
2. Due to an unsuccessful round of intrauterine insemination or of an assisted reproductive technology procedure;
3. Due to a failed adoption match or an adoption that is not finalized because it is contested by another party;
4. Due to a failed surrogacy agreement;
5. Due to a diagnosis that negatively impacts pregnancy or fertility; or
6. Due to a stillbirth.
(b) When an employee takes leave for reasons listed under division (C)(4)(a) above, DeWitt County may require reasonable documentation including a Department of Labor form filled out by a health care practitioner who has treated the employee or the employee's spouse or domestic partner, or surrogate, for an event listed under division (C)(4)(a) above, or documentation from the adoption or surrogacy organization that the employee worked with related to an event listed under division (C)(4)(a) certifying that the employee or his or her spouse or domestic partner has experienced an event listed under division (C)(4)(a). DeWitt County does not require that the employee identify which category of event under division (C)(4)(a) the leave pertains to as a condition of exercising the rights under this section.
(5) Bereavement leave under this section must be completed within 60 days after the date on which the employee receives notice of the death of the covered family member or the date on which an event listed under division (C)(4)(a) occurs. An employee is required to provide DeWitt County with at least 48 hours' advance notice of the employee's intention to take bereavement leave unless providing such notice is not reasonable and practicable.
(6) For purposes of this section, covered family members include an employee's child, stepchild, spouse, domestic partner, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, or stepparent.
(7) For purposes of this section, domestic partner includes the person recognized as the domestic partner of the employee under any domestic partnership or civil union law of a state or political subdivision of a state. Domestic partner also includes an unmarried adult person who is in a committed, personal relationship with the employee, who is not a domestic partner and not in a such a relationship with any other person, or who the employee has designated as his or her domestic partner to DeWitt County.
(8) An employee who is entitled to take paid or unpaid leave may elect to substitute any period of paid leave for an equivalent period of unpaid bereavement leave.
(9) DeWitt County prohibits retaliation against any employee who exercises his or her rights under this section, opposes any practice that the employee believes to be in violation of this section, or supports the exercise of rights of another under this section.
(10) This section does not create a right for an employee to take unpaid leave that exceeds the unpaid leave time allowed under, or in addition to the unpaid leave time permitted by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.
(D) Educational leave. The Board may grant an employee a leave of absence without pay for an appropriate academic term or terms for the purpose of engaging in full-time studies at an accredited school which would benefit the Board by improving the employee’s qualifications to perform the duties of his or her position.
(Ord. passed 11-28-2011; Res. 2022-07, passed 11-23-2022)