SICK LEAVE 

1. Sick leave may be taken for personal illness, accidents, death or illness of immediate family member, to include wife, husband, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, mother-inlaw, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law. 
2. An employee absent for five (5) consecutive working days shall submit a doctor's statement verifying illness or injury of the employee or the immediate family. The initial doctor's statement may be written for up to fifteen (15) consecutive working days. After the initial 15-day period, the employee must submit FMLA paperwork from the doctor using Forms HR-104A and HR-104B for a leave of absence.  A leave of absence may be issued for up to one full school year (or one contract year). 
3. Signatures must be obtained and forms/copies submitted as indicated. 
4. The supervisor will notify the Human Resources Department if a staff member is absent beyond the limit of his/her accumulated sick leave or if a staff member is out for more than fifteen (15) consecutive working days (with or without a doctor’s statement). 

SICK LEAVE REMAINING UPON RETIREMENT 

Individuals actively employed by the Knox County Board of Education at the time of their retirement will receive a bonus of either sixty dollars ($60.00) per day for all accumulated, unused, earned sick days; 

OR 

If the employee gives at least a one hundred (100) calendar day notice of retirement, the employee will receive one hundred dollars ($100.00) per day for all accumulated, unused, earned sick leave days.  For employees retiring at the end of the first semester, they may notify the system by September 1 of that school year, or the next working day if September 1 is on a weekend or holiday, to receive the one hundred dollar ($100.00) per day bonus.  Employees retiring at the end of the school year may notify the system by February 1 of that year, or the next working day if February 1 is on a weekend or holiday, to receive the one hundred dollar ($100.00) per day bonus.  Written notification at least one hundred (100) calendar days prior to retiring OR notification by September 1 or February 1, qualifies the individual for the one hundred dollars ($100.00) bonus per day for unused, earned sick days.  The maximum benefit for any individual shall be one (1) year of salary at the time of retirement. 

NOTE: One day for each month employed during the school year shall be accumulated for employees for an unlimited number of days. Sick leave for maternity purposes may be taken during the period of physical disability only. Upon verification by written statement from an adoption agency or other entity handling an adoption, a teacher may also be allowed to use up to thirty (30) days of accumulated sick leave for adoption of a child. If both adoptive parents are teachers, only one (1) parent is entitled to leave under this subsection.