1. The regular work year for certified employees shall be 184 days.

2. The District may require newly hired certified employees to attend up to two (2) additional non-instructional days during their first year in the District for District in-service training and orientation. Each certified employee who attends the orientation will be allowed to choose two

(2) professional days, or two (2) days to donate to the sick leave bank. The professional days taken will be aligned with the District

EPSS and are to be approved by the site supervisor.

3. Certified employees who contract for additional days of work beyond 184 workdays shall be compensated at their individual daily rate of pay.

1. The workday shall consist of seven (7.5) hours, excluding an assignment-free lunch of not less than thirty (30) minutes. Principals and certified employees will collaboratively develop schedules which cover the individual needs of their school sites. The schedules will offer between thirty (30) and forty-five (45) minute lunch periods and designate the start and end of the duty day.

2. Non-instructional duties scheduled during the duty day shall be assigned by the supervisor on a rotating schedule as equitably as possible. These duties will include building and grounds duty including, but not limited to, breakfast duty, bus duty, recess duty, and hall duly.

3. Teachers who are assigned to more than one school during a day will not be required to pertorm bus and other duty assignments during those days if such assignments intertere with travel or preparation time.

1. Employees shall earn sick leave at the rate of approximately one (1) day per month. Certified employees shall earn ten (10) days per year and classified employees working an entire fiscal year (234 days) shall earn twelve (12) days per year.

2. Employees will be awarded their full and accrued annual amount of sick and personal leave on their first payday. Time awarded will be prorated according to hire date. If the employee resigns before completing the entire contract, the leave time accrual will be prorated according to days actually worked and any deficit will be deducted at the daily rate of pay from the employee's final paycheck. If the number of days taken during the year exceeds the number earned for the year or the number of days accrued, employees shall be docked at their daily rate of pay.

3. Employees employed for less than a full year or on a part-time basis shall have leave accrual prorated.

4. Earned sick leave may be used provided the employee is on a paid duty status.

5. An employee's unused sick leave allowance shall accumulate from year to year.

6. Sick leave is defined as leave taken for personal illness of the employee, serious illness in the immediate family; and/or death in the immediate family beyond the three (3) days of bereavement leave provided, with pay, by the district.

7. An employee with three (3) consecutive days of sick leave must furnish a medical doctor's excuse for the employee's supervisor. Once sick leave is declared by an employee, the employee cannot change his/her leave status to avoid providing a medical doctor's excuse. Employees out on long-term sick leave beyond three {3) days must communicate with their supervisor on a weekly basis and must provide medical documentation to support the leave, if requested by the supervisor.

8. An employee using more than thirty (30) consecutive workdays for illness must submit to an independent medical examination by a physician selected by and paid for by the District if requested to do so by the Superintendent. If the physician's reports are conflicting, the Superintendent shall request a medical examination to be conducted by another physician and paid for by the District. 

9. Supervisors will oversee absences to determine if a pattern of absences or a frequency of absences is occurring. This may be cause for a supervisor to require a medical certificate for such absences.

10. Upon retirement, resignation, or termination, employees may donate accumulated unused sick leave to the District Sick Leave Bank.

1. Personal Leave is defined as any absence from regular duty not specifically classified as sick leave or professional leave. Examples of personal leave include personal business, legal, and family matters. 

2. Four (4) days of sick leave may be used for personal leave during each fiscal year. No salary deduction will be made for four (4) days. Personal leave is not cumulative and any unused personal leave will remain in the employee's sick leave balance.

3. An employee is requested to give as much notification as possible to the supervisor when taking personal leave.

4. An employee requesting personal leave beyond four (4) days must submit a District Leave Request Form to the supervisor for approval at least ten (10) work days prior to the beginning of the requested leave. Employees who have remaining sick leave may use it for personal leave purposes upon approval from the site supervisor.

5. The supervisor may deny a request for Personal Leave ii a substitute is not available or the workload does not permit approving the request.

6. Personal leave will not be granted before or after a designated holiday or break,_on strategic planning, NMSBA testing days, the first week of school, except in extenuating circumstances as determined by the site supervisor. Written requests specifying the circumstances for requesting personal leave must be submitted to the supervisor at least seven (7) work days prior to any of the aforementioned days. In emergency circumstances this time requirement may be waived. The case-by-case determination will include a review of the employee's leave history before or after a designated holiday or break or any of the aforementioned days. 

1. In compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), the District will provide twelve (12) weeks per year of unpaid, job­protected leave to eligible employees for certain family and medical reasons. Employees are required to use all available personal leave, sick leave, and vacation. After that, FMLA is leave without pay.

2. Employees are eligible if they have worked for the District for at least twelve (12) months and rendered at least 1,250 hours of service during that twelve (12) month period.

3. Family and medical leave can be requested by the employee or will be initiated by the Superintendent or his or her designee for the following reasons:

a. Childbirth and infant care.

b. Placement of a child with the employee for adoption or placement of a child with the employee by a state agency for foster care. Entitlement to leave for birth or placement of a child expires twelve (12) months after the birth or placement of the child. Adoption leave covers only children under the age of eighteen (18) unless the child is incapable of self-care in three or more activities of daily living because of a mental or physical handicap.

c. Care of the employee's spouse, son, daughter, or parent with a serious health condition.

d. The inability of the employee to perform his/her job duties due to his/her own serious health condition, or the necessary absence from work of an employee to receive medically necessary treatment.

4. Spouses employed by the District are limited to a combined total of twelve (12) work weeks per year for the birth or placement of a child or to care for a parent. However, for other covered leaves, such as care for a spouse or child, or for treatment of the employee's own serious health condition, each spouse may take up to twelve (12) weeks per year.

1. Professional leave is defined as authorized absence from regular duties to participate in professional activities which directly relate to the enhancement of job performance. Educational activities may include attendance at national, state, or local education meetings held while Alamogordo Public Schools are in session. 

2. Approved professional leave shall be granted without reduction in the employee's salary. Travel time and attendance at seminars and conferences will be paid according to Fair Labor Standard regulations as interpreted by the U.S. Department of Labor.

3. Professional leave should not be interpreted to include involvement in community or fraternal activities unless the Superintendent deems such leave as beneficial to the District and/or the activities relate to the enhancement of employee job performance.

1. Twelve (12) month employees will earn ten (10) days annual leave per contract year at the rate of five-sixths (5/6) day per contract month.

2. Vacation leave days earned are not property and cannot be donated or sold by the employee to another employee in the District.

3. Vacation time may be taken during the school year that it is earned, but no more than has been earned at the time it is taken.

4. Vacation time must be taken in no less than one-quarter (1/4) day increments. Employees are required to complete a Vacation Request form and obtain prior approval from their immediate supervisor prior to the date of scheduled leave.

Bereavement leave is defined as leave granted for a death in the immediate family. Employees will be provided leave with pay for three (3) workdays following the death of an immediate family member (as defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement). Bereavement leave will be entered by the supervisor upon notification of the employee to the immediate supervisor.

1. Employees will be allowed up to ten (10) hours of Parental Involvement Leave (PIL) to attend In-District activities to include but not limited to, parent teacher conferences and Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings for their child or children under their legal guardianship.

2. Parental Involvement Leave will be taken in .25 (1/4) day increments and require prior notification and approval from the employee's supervisor. The supervisor may deny a request for Parental Involvement Leave if a substitute is not available or if the workload does not permit approving the request. Documentation of scheduled meetings may be required by supervisor.

A. The intent of the Sick Leave Bank (SLB) is to provide an employee additional sick leave when:

• The employee is rendered unable to work due to a prolonged or extended catastrophic illness or disability for a period of time during which no worker's compensation or disability benefits are available.

• The employee is rendered unable to work due to a catastrophic illness of an immediate family member as defined in Article Two (2) Definitions.

B. An employee, completing one year of service, who is a member of the sick leave bank, and has not been counseled for abuse of leave, is eligible for 12 days of donated leave awarded by the sick leave bank committee with no obligation for repayment. An employee may only receive this leave once per school year. All leave awarded pursuant to this section is subject to review and approval of the SLB Committee and the terms and conditions established in this article.

Refer to Article Sixteen for more info