The amount of leave you have available for illness depends on your individual circumstances. Your leave balances are reflected on Employee Self Service, and can be checked by your timekeeper. If you are seriously ill, you may be eligible for FMLA or JPAL leave.

Effective July 1, 2021, AACPS will require employees to substitute sick leave for unpaid FMLA leave. As a result, if an employee has sick leave available, and the employee is approved to use FMLA for a qualifying event, AACPS will run the employee's accured leave concurrently with FMLA.

First, notify your supervisor of your intention to take leave due to illness. At a minimum, you must notify your supervisor as soon as you know that you will not be able to attend work.

However, if you are part of a “union,” your negotiated agreement may require you to give a certain amount of notice before the start of your work day; and to utilize specific procedures to report your absence.

First, notify your supervisor. Then, contact the IDLM office. You will be provided with extended leave forms, which you should complete and return as soon as possible, because you may be eligible for up to 60 work days of unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”).

Effective July 1, 2021, AACPS will require employees to substitute sick leave for unpaid FMLA leave. As a result, if an employee has sick leave available, and the employee is approved to use FMLA for a qualifying event, AACPS will run the employee's accured leave concurrently with FMLA.

If you do not have any paid or unpaid leave available, you may be eligble for an unpaid leave of absence. During this period, you will be responsible for the total cost of your health care coverage. You should contact the IDLM office and the Benefits office to find out the implications of being unpaid on a leave of absence.

If you are absent for three or fewer work days, you do not need a doctor’s note.

If you are absent for more than three days, you will need documentation from your health care provider indicating that you were ill. You may return to work without it, but your absences over three days will not be deemed “sick leave” unless you provide the documentation. Without the note, the time may be deemed “lost time.”

Example: On Monday morning, Carlos falls in his house. His ankle is swollen and he cannot walk; therefore he cannot go to work. On Tuesday, he goes to the doctor, and is diagnosed with a fracture. His doctor tells him that he cannot return to work until the next Monday. He will have missed five days of work. When he returns to work on Monday, Carlos will need a note from his doctor indicating that he was ill on Thursday and Friday, because as of Thursday, he will have been absent for more than three days.

If you are absent for more than ten days, you cannot return to work without an authorization from your physician that documents your illness and releases you to return. Your doctor must complete the appropriate form on this page in order for you to return to work. You may not return to work without submitting the appropriate form and receiving authorization to return from your supervisor and/or the IDLM Office.

Example: On Monday morning, Carlos falls in his house. He injures his leg and cannot go to work. On Tuesday, he goes to the doctor and learns that he will need emergency surgery for his injury. Carlos has surgery on Wednesday, and his doctor tells him that he will need two weeks to recover from his surgery. Carlos cannot return to work without submission of a doctor’s note that releases him to return to duty.

If you have restrictions, you must receive approval to return to work. Your doctor may be asked to complete a form that tells us what you can and cannot do. We will communicate with your supervisor to determine whether you can perform your duties with your restrictions.

If your restrictions are permanent, you may be asked to work with your doctor to complete reasonable accommodation forms. These forms provide information to help us determine whether we can make changes to the way the job is normally done, that will allow you to work.

Occasionally, restrictions cannot be accommodated. We will work with you to determine whether you are qualified for another job, or if you may need to separate from AACPS.

You must present a note from a physician in order to return to work. You must submit the note even if you decline to be transported from your work location by EMS. It does not matter how long you are absent from the work site. You may not return to work without submitting it.