Leaves of Absence & Workers’ Compensation

Eligible employees who work for a covered employer can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period, defined as July 1 – June 30, for the following reasons:

• The birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care;
• To bond with a child (leave must be taken within 1 year of the child’s birth or placement);
• To care for the employee’s spouse, son or daughter, or parent, who has a qualifying serious health condition;
• For the employee’s own qualifying serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the employee’s job; and
• For qualifying exigencies related to the foreign deployment of a military member who is the employee’s spouse, child, or parent.

An eligible employee who is a covered service member’s spouse, child, parent, or next of kin may also take up to 26 weeks of FMLA leave in a single 12-month period to care for the service member with a serious injury or illness.

To be eligible for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, you must have been employee by Conroe ISD:

1. For at least 12 months. The 12 months need not be consecutive; and
2. Worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12 months immediately preceding the start of leave.

FMLA leave runs concurrently with any applicable paid leave and compensatory time, and it may be taken intermittently for the same condition, so long as the employee provides the District with supporting documentation from the treating physician. The District does not permit the use of intermittent or reduced schedule leave for the care of a newborn child or for the adoption or placement of a child with the employee.

Employee Rights Under the FMLApdf (Derechos del Empleado Según la Ley de Ausencia Familiar y Médica)pdf

Information on Family and Medical Leavepdf

A full-time employee who does not qualify for FMLA leave may take up to six weeks of unpaid leave in a 12-month period, defined as July 1 – June 30, for absences related to:

1. The birth of a child and to care for the newborn child;
2. The adoption or foster care placement of a child;
3. Caring for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition; and
4. The employee’s serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform essential job functions.

Non-FMLA leave runs concurrently with any applicable paid leave and compensatory time, and it may be taken intermittently for the same condition, so long as the employee provides the District with supporting documentation from the treating physician.

Any full-time employee whose position requires certification from the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) is eligible for temporary disability leave. The purpose of temporary disability leave is to provide job protection to eligible full-time employees who cannot work for an extended period of time because of a mental or physical disability of a temporary nature. Temporary disability leave must be taken as a continuous block of time. It may not be taken intermittently or on a reduced schedule. Pregnancy and conditions related to pregnancy are treated the same as any other temporary disability.

An employee’s notification of need for extended absence due to the employee’s own medical condition shall be accepted as a request for temporary disability leave. The request must be accompanied by a physician’s statement confirming the employee’s inability to work and estimating a probable date of return. If temporary disability leave is approved, it is unpaid and the maximum length of leave is 180 calendar days.

If an employee is placed on temporary disability leave involuntarily, he or she has the right to request a hearing before the Board of Trustees. The employee may protest the action and present additional evidence of fitness to work.

When an employee is ready to return to work from temporary disability leave, the Superintendent or designee should be notified at least 30 calendar days in advance. The return-to-work notice must be accompanied by a physician’s statement confirming that the employee is able to resume regular duties. Certified employees returning from leave will be reinstated to the school to which they were previously assigned if an appropriate position is available. If an appropriate position is not available, the employee may be assigned to another campus, subject to the approval of the campus principal. If a position is not available before the end of the school year, the employee will be reinstated to a position at the original campus at the beginning of the following school year.

Temporary disability leave runs concurrently with any applicable paid leave, compensatory time, FMLA leave, and non-FMLA leave.

Extended sick leave is available for eligible employees through the 2022-2023 school year; beginning with the 2023-2024 school year the District will no longer provide extended sick leave.

After all available paid leave days and any applicable compensatory time or off-duty days have been exhausted, a full-time employee who has worked, in a full-time capacity, for the District for the 12 consecutive months preceding the need for leave shall be granted a maximum of 30 workdays of extended sick leave in a 12-month period, defined as July 1 – June 30. Eligibility for extended sick leave shall not affect eligibility for leave under the FMLA. An employee shall be permitted to use extended sick leave for absences related to:

1. The birth of a child and to care for the newborn child;
2. The adoption or foster care placement of a child;
3. Caring for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition; and
4. The employee’s serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform essential job functions.

Extended sick leave days are paid at one-half the employee’s daily rate. If an employee does not return from leave during the 12-month period in which the leave began, the employee must return to work for at least 30 consecutive workdays in the next 12-month period to be eligible for additional days of extended sick leave in the new leave year. The 12-month period is defined as July 1 – June 30. Employees will be docked at their full daily rate for each workday of absence after extended sick leave benefits have been exhausted. Employees hired to work less than 100 percent of the workday but at least 50 percent shall be granted extended sick leave in proportion to the percentage of time they are employed.

Extended Sick Leave Pay Explanationpdf

An employee who has exhausted all paid leave, and who has been approved for medical leave because of a catastrophic illness or injury or the catastrophic illness or injury of an immediate family member, may request the establishment of a sick leave pool, not to exceed 30 donated days per school year. Any active District employee may donate local leave or state personal leave for use by the eligible employee.

A catastrophic illness or injury is defined as a severe medical condition or combination of conditions affecting the mental or physical health of the employee, or a member of the employee’s immediate family, from which recovery and/or return to work is not likely; conditions relating to pregnancy or childbirth shall be considered catastrophic if they meet the requirements of this definition. The following procedures apply to the creation and administration of sick leave pools:

• Requests must be electronically submitted through the Donate Leave Days site by using the Donate Days app within the SSO or the Donate Days – Request Days link within the Employee Access Center (EAC). Certification of the catastrophic condition(s) for which the sick leave pool is being requested must be sent to the CISD Human Resources Department at HRLeaves@conroeisd.net or 936-709-7950 (Fax).
• Requests for the establishment of a sick leave pool are considered only for employees who have been approved for medical leave and have exhausted all personal paid leave.
• Within five business days of the request, the Human Resources Department will notify the employee and their principal/director of the approval/denial of the sick leave pool request.
• The maximum number of donated days an employee may receive, up to 30 per school year, is determined by the medical certification completed by the health care provider.
• The names of employees who have open sick leave pools will appear in the Donate Days section of the District’s weekly newsletter, and the employee’s campus/department may share the open sick leave pool status with its staff. Only the fact that the employee meets the eligibility criteria for a sick leave pool will be published along with the steps for District employees to make donations. Employees who do not want their name listed in the District newsletter or shared with campus/department staff should specify this choice on the sick leave pool request form.
• Only active District employees may donate local and state leave to any open sick leave pool by using the Donate Days app within the SSO or the Donate Days – Donate Days link within the EAC. Days must be donated prior to a donor’s last day worked.
• Donated days cannot be used retroactively for absences already posted for attendance.
• Donated days can only be used for absences on account of the condition(s) for which the sick leave pool request was approved.
• A sick leave pool will close when the employee no longer needs leave for the reason requested, or the employee exhausts all donated days.
• Donated days do not carry over from one school year to the next.
• Any unused donated days are returned to the exact donor, unless the donor is no longer employed by Conroe ISD.

All decisions regarding the establishment or implementation of a sick leave pool may be appealed in accordance with DGBA(LOCAL).

Employees on an approved unpaid leave of absence, including Family and Medical Leave, must make premium payments for their medical and/or supplemental insurance when they cannot be payroll deducted. Payments totaling the amount normally deducted from each paycheck are due each pay date, which is the 1st and 15th of each month, unless this date falls on a weekend or holiday and the pay date becomes the previous workday. If a payment is more than 30 days late, benefits may be terminated the last day of the month of the 30-day grace period.

Employees can view their detailed arrears balance in the Employee Access Center (EAC) by selecting the Insurance Deduction Arrears link from the navigation menu on the left side of the screen. The District accepts payments by check, money order, and credit card, but cannot accept more than the amount due at the time payment is received. For the most current information, view the arrears balance in the EAC.

To pay by credit card, go to MySchoolBucks and submit the required payment information. There is a fee of 4.95% of the payment amount to use this payment option.

To pay by check or money order, make it payable to Conroe ISD and mail it to:

Payroll Department – Employee Insurance
Conroe ISD
3205 West Davis Street
Conroe, TX 77304

Any premiums the District pays on an employee’s behalf to maintain medical and supplemental insurance prior to termination, if applicable, is considered an advance of future wages payable and will be deducted from the first paycheck(s) issued following the return from leave.

Application for Leavepdf

Leave Certification for Serious Health Condition (Employee)pdf

Leave Certification for Serious Health Condition (Family Member)pdf

Leave Certification for Qualifying Exigency under the FMLApdf

Leave Certification for Military Caregiver Leave under the FMLA (for Current Member)pdf

Leave Certification for Military Caregiver Leave under the FMLA (for Veteran)pdf

Board Policy DEC – COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: LEAVES AND ABSENCES

Board Policy DECA – LEAVES AND ABSENCES: FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE

Board Policy DECB – LEAVES AND ABSENCES: MILITARY LEAVE

Board Policy DBB – EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS: MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASES