A. Purpose – The purpose of child involvement leave is to promote employees’ involvement in the education of youth and to promote employees’ assistance to schools. Full-time employees may take leave under this policy to:
1. Meet with a teacher or administrator of any elementary school, middle school, high school or child care program authorized to operate under the laws of the state of North Carolina concerning the employee’s children, step-children or children over whom the employee has custody. For purposes of this policy, “school” means any:
(i) public school; (ii) private church school, church of religious charter or nonpublic school described in Parts 1 and 2 of Article 39 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes that regularly provides a course of grade school instruction; (iii) preschool; and (iv) child care facility as defined in N.C.G.S. 110-86(3).
2. Attend any function sponsored by the school or child care program as defined above in which the children, step-children, or children over whom the employee has custody are participating. This provision shall only be utilized in conjunction with non-athletic programs that are a part of or a supplement to the school’s or daycare’s
academic or artistic program.
3. To perform, by any employee, without regard to parental status, school-approved volunteer work approved by a teacher, school administrator, or program administrator.
B. Amount of Leave
1. Employees, including new employees, may take up to four (4) hours of unpaid leave each calendar year regardless of the number of children. The four (4) hours of leave will be credited to employees on July 1 of each year.
2. For each leave period requested, leave shall be taken in units of no less than one (1) hour and in quarter hour increments thereafter.
C. Approval of Leave
1. Employees must receive approval from their immediate supervisor to use this leave. The College may require acceptable proof that leave taken is within the purpose of this policy and a forty-eight (48) hour advanced notice.
2. The College will endeavor to grant the leave as requested by the employee but, based on the College’s needs, the leave may need to be taken at a different time.
3. Leave not taken in a fiscal year in which it is earned will be forfeited.
Adopted: May 8, 2019
Legal Reference: N.C.G.S. 95-28.3