53A-3-425 - Association leave -- District policy.
53A-3-425. Association leave -- District policy.
(1) As used in this section, "association leave" means leave from a school districtemployee's regular school responsibilities granted for that employee to spend time for associationor union duties.
(2) Prior to any school district employee's participation in paid or unpaid associationleave, a local school board shall adopt a written policy that governs association leave.
(3) If a local school board adopts a policy to allow paid association leave, the policy shallinclude procedures and controls to:
(a) ensure that the duties performed by employees on paid association leave directlybenefit education within the school district;
(b) require the school district to document the use and approval of paid association leave;
(c) require school district supervision of employees on paid association leave;
(d) require the school district to account for the costs and expenses of paid associationleave;
(e) ensure that during the hours of paid association leave a school district employee maynot engage in political activity, including:
(i) actively campaigning for candidates for public office in partisan and nonpartisanelections; and
(ii) fundraising for political organizations, political parties, or candidates;
(f) ensure that association leave is only paid out of school district funds when the paidassociation leave directly benefits education within the district; and
(g) require the reimbursement to the school district of the cost of paid association leaveactivities that do not provide a direct benefit to education within the school district.
(4) If a local school board adopts a policy to allow paid association leave, that policyshall indicate that a willful violation of this section or of a policy adopted in accordance withSubsection (2) or (3) may be used for disciplinary action under Section 53A-8-104.
Enacted by Chapter 312, 2002 General Session