NEPN/NSBA Code:  GBN-R2

MAINE FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE 

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE 

The following administrative procedure covers the main provisions of the Maine Family Medical Leave Act. The guidelines in no way attempt to modify the statute, which should always be referred to when questions about implementation arise. The school district is responsible for analyzing each employee request for leave to determine whether he/she is eligible under the federal and/or state statute. When an employee is eligible for leave under both the federal and state statutes, the applicable law with regard to each benefit shall be the one, which provides the greater benefit (usually federal FMLA). 

I.ELIGIBILITY 

To be eligible for Maine Family Medical Leave, employees must work at a site where there are 15 or more employees of a school committee. An employee must have been employed by the same employer for 12 consecutive months and not taken such leave within the immediately preceding 24-month period, or have used less than 10 weeks of family medical leave. 

Under the Maine Family Medical Leave Act, an eligible employee is entitled to up to 10 weeks of leave during a 24-month period for the following reasons: 

A.  Serious health condition of the employee; 

B.  Birth of the employee’s child or the employee’s domestic partner’s child; 

C.  Placement of a child 16 years of age or less in connection with the adoption of the child by the employee or the employee’s domestic partner; 

D.  Serious health condition of a child, domestic partner’s child, parent, domestic partner, or spouse; Serious health condition means an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility or continuing treatment by a health care provider; 

F.  The serious health condition or death of the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, parent, or child if that person as a member of the state military forces, as defined in Title 37-B, section 102 of the Maine Revised Statutes, or of the United States Armed Services, including the National Guard and Reserves, dies or incurs a serious health condition while on active duty. 

II.  DOMESTIC PARTNER DEFINED 

For the purpose of determining eligibility for Maine Family Medical Leave, ―domestic partner means the partner of an employee who: 

A.  Is a mentally competent adult as is the employee; 

B.  Has been legally domiciled with the employee for at least 12 months;

C.  Is not legally married to or legally separated from another individual; 

D.  Is the sole partner of the employee and expects to remain so; 

E.  Is not a sibling of the employee; and 

F.  Is jointly responsible with the employee for each other’s common welfare as evidenced by joint living arrangements, joint financial arrangements, or joint ownership of real or personal property. 

III. ADMINISTRATION 

A.  The school unit may require certification from a physician to verify the amount of leave requested. An employee who in good faith relies on treatment by prayer or spiritual means, in accordance with the tenets and practice of a recognized church or religious denomination may submit certification from an accredited practitioner of those healing methods. 

B.  An employee requesting leave shall provide at least 30 days’ notice of the intended dates upon which the leave will commence and terminate unless prevented by medical emergency from giving required notice.  

C.  Any leave taken for Maine Family Medical Leave qualifying purposes, including leave taken under other applicable statutes, employment policies, collective bargaining agreements, or contracts, shall also be considered leave under the Maine Family Medical Leave and shall be applied to an employee’s 10-week Maine Family Medical Leave entitlement every 24- month period. When paid leave taken for Maine Family Medical Leave qualifying purposes is exhausted, the balance of Maine Family Medical Leave shall be unpaid. 

D.  During Maine Family Medical Leave, an employee shall be permitted to continue their medical insurance plan, providing the employee remits the monthly premium to the Superintendent’s Office no later than the first day of the month for which the premium is due. 

E.  Upon an employee’s return to work, they will be restored to their previous position or to a position with equivalent seniority status, benefits, pay, and other conditions and terms of employment. 

F.  An employee taking Maine Family Medical Leave for their own serious health condition may be required to submit certification that they are fit to return to work and are able to perform the functions of the position. 

G.  If at the end of the allowable leave under Maine Family Medical Leave the employee is unable to return to work because of their own serious health condition, the Superintendent and School Board may consider a request for an extension of unpaid leave and benefits on a case-by-case basis. Failure to return to work upon expiration of Maine Family Medical Leave may subject the employee to immediate termination unless such an extension is granted.

H.  An employee who is not eligible for Maine Family Medical Leave may be eligible for federal Family and Medical Leave. 

IV.  LEAVE TAKEN INTERMITTENTLY OR ON A REDUCED LEAVE SCHEDULE 

Subject to the other requirements of this policy, leave taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule (i.e., a leave schedule that reduces the usual number of hours per workweek or hours per workday of an employee) may be taken subject to the following: 

A.  Leave for birth or placement related to adoption may not be taken intermittently or on a reduced schedule unless agreed to by both employer and employee; 

B.  Leave for a serious health condition of the employee or their child, domestic partner’s child, parent, domestic partner or spouse, or for organ donation by the employee may be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule when medically necessary;

C.  The taking of leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule may not result in a reduction in the total amount of Maine Family Medical Leave to which the employee is entitled beyond the amount of leave actually taken; 

D.  If an employee requests intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule for a serious health condition of the employee or their child, domestic partner’s child, parent, domestic partner or spouse, or for organ donation by the employee that is foreseeable based on planned medical treatment, the employer may require the employee to transfer temporarily to an available alternative position offered by the employer for which the employee is qualified and that 1) has equivalent pay and benefits, and 2) better accommodates recurring periods of leave than the regular employment position of the employee. 

Legal References: 26 MRSA § 843 et seq. 

Adopted: February 11, 2008 

Reviewed: August 20, 2012 

Reviewed: September 11, 2017 

Reviewed: September 11, 2023