Faculty Leave
Date of Current Revision: January, 2006
Responsible Office: Human Resources
- PURPOSE
This policy provides a uniform method for faculty members to take leave from work.
- AUTHORITY
The JMU Board of Visitors is responsible for policies related to the employment of JMU faculty members. The board designates the president with the responsibility for the day-to-day management of those policies and, therefore, the establishment of a leave policy for faculty members.
- DEFINITIONS
Sick Leave
Leave taken when the faculty member is unavailable to work due to illness.
Annual Leave
Typically referred to as "vacation." This does not include such special provisions as educational leave or administrative leave..
Leave Through Peer Coverage
The allowance for a faculty member to be absent from work and be paid during the absence with the stipulation that his or her critical assignments and work will be completed by one or more peers.
Military Leave
Leave granted for federally funded military duty.
Family and Medical Leave
Leave granted following the birth of a child or the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, because the employee is needed to care for a family member (child, spouse, or parent) with a serious health condition, or because the employee's own serious health condition makes him or her unable to do his or her job.
Disability Leave
Leave granted to an employee who has a qualified, documented disability as an accommodation to ensure equal access and equal opportunities with regard to university employment.
Educational Leave
Leave granted to a faculty member to pursue full-time independent study, graduate/post-graduate study, research or creative activities that will enhance their teaching abilities, professional growth and intellectual renewal.
Emergency/Disaster Leave
Leave granted to employees who are called away from their regular jobs to provide specific kinds of emergency services during defined times of state and/or national disaster.
Compensatory Leave
Leave granted to a faculty member who is required to work on a scheduled holiday or inclement weather day.
Worker’s Compensation Leave
Leave granted to an employee who suffers a job-related illness or injury.
Administrative Leave
Leave granted to serve on a jury or appear in court as a witness under subpoena, for testing or interviewing for other positions, or for other reasons approved in advance by the faculty member’s supervisor.
Political Activity Leave
Unpaid leave granted to serve on an election campaign or to serve a term of office.
Instructional Faculty:
The members of the faculty who have responsibilities that include teaching, research and service as the majority of their duties. Sometimes referred to as 'T&R Faculty'.
Administrative & Professional Faculty:
Sometimes referred to as 'A&P Faculty', this is a faculty member whose primary responsibility is management or administration but is not teaching (as opposed to instructional faculty). In the past, A&P Faculty were sometimes referred to as 'T&R Administrators.' However, that terminology is no longer used commonly.
12-Month Instructional Faculty
Those persons who are classified as Instructional Faculty who are not on the standard 10-month instructional faculty contract but instead are classified as 12-month faculty.
10-Month Instructional Faculty
Those persons who are classified as Instructional Faculty who are on the standard 10-month instructional faculty contract.
Faculty
References to 'all faculty members' or simply 'faculty' in this policy refer to:
- All full-time instructional faculty members, both those on 12-month and 10-month contracts
- All full-time administrative & professional faculty members
- APPLICABILITY
This policy applies to all faculty members as well as those who supervise them.
- POLICY
5.1 Supervisor Approval
All leave, paid or unpaid, must be approved in advance (unless an emergency makes an advance request for leave impossible) by the supervisor.
5.2 Compensation for Unused Leave
There is never payment for unused sick leave or annual leave for faculty members.
5.3 Sick Leave for all Faculty Members Not Enrolled in the Virginia Sickness & Disability Program
Faculty members not enrolled in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program will only be eligible for paid leave for illness through the peer coverage process and any limitations on sick leave granted will be related to the availability of peer coverage..
5.4 Sick Leave for all Faculty Members Enrolled in the Virginia Sickness & Disability Program
All faculty members who enroll in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program will have sick leave and disability-related benefits as provided by the VSDP and are not eligible for peer coverage provisions. Faculty members may choose either VSDP or peer coverage, but not both. Specifics of the VSDP program are available on-line.
5.5 Annual Leave for Administrative & Professional Faculty Members
Full-time administrative and professional faculty members receive 20 paid workdays for annual leave each fiscal year. A&P faculty members with contracts of less than 12 months receive a prorated amount (1.67 days per month) of annual leave. Administrative and Professional faculty member may not carry leave over from one fiscal year to the next.
5.6 Annual Leave for 12-month Instructional Faculty Members
All 12-month Instructional Faculty members are granted paid leave, whether annual, educational leave, etc., through the approval of their supervisor and the peer coverage process. (For more details on leave provisions for instructional faculty, such as educational leave, please see the University Faculty Handbook ).
5.7 Annual Leave for less-than-12-month Instructional Faculty Members
Less-than-12-month Instructional Faculty Members are not granted paid annual leave.
- PROCEDURES
6.1 Leave Tracking
All faculty members enrolled in VSDP must track any sick leave used through a tracking report, which must be signed by the supervisor and submitted to Human Resources.[A copy of the report is attached as Appendix “A.”] - RESPONSIBILITIES
Supervisors are responsible for approving and overseeing their employee's correct use of this policy. They are also responsible for ensuring that the leave report is appropriately signed and submitted to Human Resources by the end of each month in which the faculty member enrolled in VSDP uses sick leave.
Faculty members are responsible for complying with this policy, including reporting and tracking leave as described in this policy. They are also responsible for requesting leave in a timely manner, unless an emergency makes a timely request impossible
- SANCTIONS
Sanctions will be commensurate with the severity and/or frequency of the offense and may include termination of employment. - EXCLUSIONS
10-month faculty members, part-time faculty members and adjunct faculty members are not eligible for paid annual leave.
This policy does not apply to part-time faculty, adjunct faculty, graduate assistants, classified employees or wage employees.
Faculty members enrolled in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program before August 1, 2002 will be allowed to continue in the sick-leave-through-peer-coverage program. All others must choose between either sick-leave-through-peer-coverage or the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program.
- INTERPRETATION
The interpretation of this policy is the responsibility of the president and is normally delegated to the director of the JMU Office of Human Resources.
| Classification | Sick Leave | Annual Leave |
| 10-month faculty enrolled in VSDP | VSDP | None |
| 12- month faculty enrolled in VSDP | VSDP | Peer coverage |
| 10-month faculty not enrolled in VSDP | Peer Coverage | None |
| 12-month faculty not enrolled in VSDP | Peer Coverage | Peer Coverage |
| A&P Faculty enrolled in VSDP | VSDP | 20 days annually |
| A&P Faculty not enrolled in VSDP | Peer Coverage | 20 days annually |
| Less-than-12-monh A&P Faculty | Peer Coverage | Pro-rated amount |
5.8 Family and Medical Leave
Faculty members may be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid or unpaid family or medical leave following the birth of a child or the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, because the employee is needed to care for a family member (child, spouse, or parent) with a serious health condition, or because the employee's own serious health condition makes him or her unable to do his or her job. For details, see Policy 1308, Family and Medical Leave. For instructional faculty members, also see Policy 2108, Parental Leave Guidelines for Instructional Faculty.
5.9 Disability Leave
Faculty members who have a qualified, documented disability may be eligible for paid or unpaid leave as an accommodation to ensure equal access and equal opportunities with regard to the university employment. For details, see Policy 1331, Disabilities and Reasonable Accommodations.
5.10 Educational Leave
Paid Educational Leave is granted to approximately 20 faculty members each year. Grants of education leave provide opportunities for faculty members to pursue full-time independent study, graduate/post-graduate study, research or creative activities that will enhance their teaching abilities, professional growth and intellectual renewal. For details, see Faculty Handbook, Section III.K.1.a.(1).
5.11 Emergency/Disaster Leave
Faculty members may qualify for paid leave if they are employees who are called away from their regular jobs to provide specific kinds of emergency services during defined times of state and/or national disaster. For details, see Policy 1113, Emergency/Disaster Leave.
5.12 Compensatory Leave
Faculty members are considered exempt from the overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, and are not eligible for compensatory leave, except for hours worked on a scheduled holiday or inclement weather day. For details, see Policy 1303, Provisions for Granting Overtime & Compensatory Leave.
5.13 Worker’s Compensation Leave
Faculty members may be eligible for worker’s compensation leave if they suffer a work-related illness or injury. For details, see Policy 1312, Worker’s Compensation/Return to Work.
5.14 Administrative Leave
Faculty members may be eligible for administrative leave to serve on a jury or appear in court as a witness under subpoena, for testing or interviewing for other positions, or for other reasons approved in advance by the faculty member’s supervisor. Such leave may be paid or unpaid, depending on the circumstances. For details, see Faculty Handbook, Section III.K.1.a.(2).
5.15 Military Duty Leave
Faculty members may be eligible for military duty leave for federally funded military duty. For details, see Faculty Handbook, Section III.K.1.a.(5).
5.16 Political Activity Leave
Faculty members may be eligible for unpaid leave for political activity, on an individually negotiated basis. For details, see Faculty Handbook, Section III.K.1.b.(1).
6.2 Requests for Leave
A faculty member who is requesting leave must make the request in a timely manner to allow the faculty member’s supervisor an opportunity to arrange for peer coverage or other arrangements to cover the faculty member’s duties and obligations during the term of the leave. If an emergency prohibits a timely request, the faculty member must notify the supervisor as soon as possible of the request for leave.
The supervisor will make the determination of the eligibility of the faculty member for leave and notify the faculty member of the approval of the request in a timely manner. The supervisor will also notify Human Resources of the approval of leave for the faculty member.
If the faculty member is not eligible for the leave requested, or if the leave is disapproved for other reasons, the supervisor will notify the faculty member as soon as possible. Any absence of the faculty member from regular duties that is not pursuant to approved leave may be considered as a disciplinary matter.
Previous Version: July 2001
Approved by the President: July, 2001
Index Terms
Administrative Leave
Administrative and Professional Faculty Leave
A&P Faculty
Annual Leave
Compensatory Leave
Disability Leave
Educational Leave
Emergency/Disaster Leave
Faculty Leave
Faculty Sick Leave
Family and Medical Leave
Instructional Faculty Leave
Military Leave
Political Activity Leave
Sick Leave
T&R Faculty Leave
Worker's Compensation Leave