LEAVE POLICY FOR BIRTH OF A CHILD

Draft- 10-16-02

Leave for the birth of a child is available to non-visiting full-time faculty members who are pregnant and awaiting delivery and to non-visiting full-time faculty members whose domestic partners have delivered a living child. Upon submission of a request and proper documentation from a physician, the faculty member will be granted faculty leave according to the following provisions:

1. Requests for this leave are made to the AVP through the appropriate Dean.

2. There are two types of leave for the birth of a child, both involving full pay and benefits for the faculty member.
1. Inactive Status: A leave during which the faculty member has no duties at the University, and
2. Active Status-Modified Duties: A leave during which the faculty member has normal duties, except for a 6-hour reduction from the faculty member’s normal teaching load.

3. A faculty member who is pregnant may request either one semester of leave or two semesters of leave, and these leaves will be automatically granted. If a faculty member requests one semester of leave she may choose the type of leave. If she requests two semesters, one will be on Inactive Status and the other on Active Status-Modified Duties, and the faculty member may choose the order for these leaves in consultation with the appropriate department chair. The two semesters of leave must be concluded by the one-year anniversary of delivery. If a premature delivery occurs during a semester in which the faculty member is not on Inactive Status, this matter will be handled under the University’s usual health benefits.

4. In the case of a faculty member whose domestic partner has delivered a child, the faculty member will be granted a one-semester leave on Active Status-Modified Duties. Normally, the semester of leave will be the semester following the birth of the child, however, with approval, the semester of leave may be the semester in which the birth occurs.

5. A faculty member who intends to invoke this policy should consult with the appropriate department chair as soon as is practicable, so as to allow the University a reasonable opportunity to provide for coverage of the duties of the faculty member during the period of leave.

6. Administrators must exercise due care to ensure that the granting of a leave under this policy does not simply increase the workload of the faculty members in the department who are not on leave. That is, visiting faculty and/or additional part-time faculty must be hired as appropriate to cover the responsibilities of the faculty member granted the leave.

7. If two JCU non-visiting faculty members qualify for this leave as a result of the same child, only one will be granted leave at a time.

A visiting faculty member may be granted leave under this policy as the situation warrants.