Hickman County Board of Education
Descriptor Code:
Issued Date:
Descriptor Term:
5.302
02/03/25
Sick Leave
Rescinds:
Issued:
5.302
12/05/22
LICENSED PERSONNEL
The time allowed for sick leave for professional personnel shall be one (1) day for each month
employed during the school year and shall accumulate for an unlimited number of days.¹
Sick leave shall be defined as: illness of a teacher from natural causes or accident, quarantine, or
illness or death of a member of the immediate family of a teacher, including the teacher's wife or
husband, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, mother-in-law, father-in-law,
daughter-in-law, son-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law.²
A signed statement listing the cause of absence shall be provided by the employee on forms furnished
by the director of schools and shall promptly be given to the immediate supervisor in support of all
claims for sick leave pay. A falsified statement shall be grounds for dismissal. An employee absent for
five (5) consecutive working days shall submit a doctor's statement verifying illness or injury of the
employee or immediate family member.
Frequent use and/or suspected misuse of sick leave by an employee are sufficient grounds for requiring
a physician's certificate stating the reason for absence.
A certificate from the physician on forms furnished by the Board may be required in support of any
claim for sick leave pay.
In case of doubt, the Board of Education shall have final authority as to who is entitled to leave under
this section and the time for which the leave may be allowed.
A teacher in need of sick leave shall be allowed to use unearned sick leave up to the amount of days
which such teacher may accumulate during the remainder of the school year in which he is employed.
Such advance use of sick leave shall be charged to sick leave accumulated in the same school year.
Upon termination of the employment of such teacher-before-such-days are earned or at the end of the
school year, there shall be deducted from the final salary of each teacher an amount based on his daily
rate of pay sufficient to cover the excess sick leave days used by him and if such final salary is
insufficient for this purpose the teacher shall be liable for reimbursement of any amount in excess of
his final salary.
The principal shall notify the director of schools' office at once if an employee is sick beyond the limit
of his/her sick leave accumulation. The substitute teacher, beyond this point, must have a certificate or
permit and must be paid according to the state salary scale.
Version Date: 4/7/2026
Sick Leave
5.302
Permanent, cumulative sick leave records for each active professional employee shall be kept in the
director of schools' office.
A teacher, upon employment, may transfer his/her accumulated sick leave from another Tennessee
school system, provided that the director of schools of the system in which the accumulated leave was
held provides notarized verification.³
SUPPORT PERSONNEL
Sick leave shall be the same for support personnel as for certified employees.
The time allowed (days earned) for sick leave shall be one (1) day for each month an employee is
employed except bus drivers, who shall earn one half (1/2) day for each month employed.
Sick leave shall be cumulative for all earned days not used.
At the termination of the employment of any employee, all unused sick leave accumulated by the
employee shall be terminated.
The immediate supervisor may require a physician's certificate stating the reason for absence.
Frequent and misuse of sick leave by an individual are sufficient grounds for requiring a physician's
certificate stating the reason for absence.
A teacher, upon employment, may transfer his/her accumulated sick leave from another Tennessee
school system, provided that the director of schools of the system in which the accumulated leave was
held provides notarized verification.
Legal References
Cross References
1. TCA 49-5-710(a)(1)
Workers' Compensation 3602
2. TRR/MS 0520-01-02-.04(2)
Orientation and Probation 5107
3. TCA 49-5-710(a)(5)
Short Term Leaves of Absence 5.300
Family and Medical Leave 5.305
Physical Assault Leave 5307
Page 2 of 2

## Table 1

|  | Hickman County Board of | Education |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | Descriptor Term: Sick Leave | Descriptor Code: 5.302 | Issued Date: 02/03/25 |
|  |  | Rescinds: 5.302 | Issued: 12/05/22 |

## Table 2

|  | Legal References | Cross References |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. 2. 3. | TCA 49-5-710(a)(1) TRR/MS 0520-01-02-.04(2) TCA 49-5-710(a)(5) | Workers' Compensation 3602 Orientation and Probation 5107 Short Term Leaves of Absence 5.300 Family and Medical Leave 5.305 Physical Assault Leave 5307 |