The district I work in allows us to use our sick leave for 6 weeks of paid leave, but if you have the baby over a break the 6 weeks start the day of the birth. My EDD is 5 weeks before school will start, so I am only allowed to use 1 week of my sick leave. I wish we were allowed to start the 6 week time period upon school returning to session.
Just wonder if anyone knows if this is possible within the FMLA or what other teachers are dealing with.
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
@Jone0603: How is that possible if you are on break and not using those days? I am so confused! I am having my LO over the summer. Once school starts, my maternity leave will be over (just coincidence, ) then my sick leave will be depleted followed by 12 weeks of differential pay (difference between my salary and cost of sub,) and then I am eligible for FMLA. Do you have any other options? I'm sorry!
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts
This is how it was for us too. I'm sorry 
I was able to get a doctors note to use the entire 12 weeks. If you have the sick time, that may be an option.
nectarine / 2667 posts
@Jone0603: My last district had the same type of policy - you are only eligible to use sick leave during the "recovery" period (typically the 6 weeks) and then it's unpaid. Because, you know, you're perfectly fine to return to work right?! /sarcasmfont/
I'd recommend looking into the policies in detail/bugging HR with questions & hoping your doctor will write you an extended work release date. FMLA will allow you 12 weeks, but it's not paid.
pomelo / 5628 posts
FMLA only requires that you get up to 12 weeks off. It says nothing about pay/sick leave so that's up to your contract. If you are somehow able to get a doctor's note, you could use sick leave longer. I have a strange situation since my son was born at 25 weeks so I ended up being out for nearly 7 months. I used sick leave for 6 weeks, then my doc would not write me out longer, so I went to mental health services (even though I didn't need it) so that I could continue to use my sick leave.
persimmon / 1273 posts
I think it varies by state and by district/contract. I know there are specific things in the PA School Code that pertain to maternity (and possibly other medical, I don't know) leave policies. In my case, I was out for 11 weeks at the end of the school year after my son was born. I took a semester of leave that had me off from August-January but that leave officially started after I finished the last remaining week of FMLA.
grapefruit / 4079 posts
In my district the 6 weeks starts but it doesn't deduct from your sick time. We can take 8 weeks paid (from sick time) if we have a c/s or have a doctors note. We can take up to 12 weeks of FMLA so 6 from sick time, 6 FMLA or whatever combination you can based on sick time.
eggplant / 11716 posts
@Jone0603: my school district doesn't allow us to use sick leave at all, no matter when you give birth. The contract says that birth isn't a sickness. =/
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
I'm not a teacher and didn't work in a school, but I just have to say I am so baffled that teachers don't have better maternity leave policies overall. I mean, teachers are mostly young women who love children, so it seems like a no brainer... Yet I know a lot of people who worked in schools and had crap policies too.
That's all. I'm not helping, just whining in your behalf.
pomelo / 5628 posts
@Anagram: that is ridiculous! Of course it's not a sickness, but it is a medical condition!
grapefruit / 4079 posts
@Anagram: I would think getting your vagina torn open or your tummy being cut open would fall under "sick" leave. I'm sure a man came up with that rule.
nectarine / 2667 posts
@Anagram: Interesting (in the crappiest sense of the word). Do they also not allow sick leave for recovery from other surgeries that don't stem from a "sickness" like a knee surgery or something?
eggplant / 11716 posts
@Mrs Green Grass: @ladybee: @JoyfulKiwi: If you can believe it, I actually live in a strong union state and everyone agreed to it (before I worked here).
pear / 1580 posts
@Jone0603: That really sucks! So sorry to hear. I would definitely talk to someone in your union about it.
I'm due early April but I want to take the rest of the year off. I'm told that our superintendent is very stringent and I might have to decide to either come back before I want to or resign. Needless to say, I'm talking to my union rep before I have that conversation with my superintendent.
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