Expanding Teacher Sick Days Possible Under NJ Bill

NEW JERSEY — Teachers in New Jersey could use their sick leave to take care of an ill family member, take their child to a school event, or get preventative care for themselves under a bill in both houses of the state legislature.

Currently, New Jersey school district employees may only take sick leave because of personal illness, injury, or disability, or because they are ordered to do so by health officials in the case of a contagious disease. A bill recently passed by the Assembly Labor Committee (A5060) allows teachers to use their accrued sick time for a much wider variety of reasons.

This bill allows school district employees to use sick leave so they may care for a seriously ill member of their family, increases the number of bereavement days to seven, and allows district employees to use sick time for diagnosis, care, or treatment of any mental or physical illness or injury.

The legislation mentions that it is not meant to supersede any collective bargaining rights for school district employees “and shall not reduce, diminish, or adversely affect an employee’s collective bargaining rights.”

Under the proposed bill, district employees could use sick time to take absence if they or a family member are a victim of domestic or sexual violence, and needs medical attention, counseling, or more time away. Staff members could also use sick time to attend their child’s school-related conference, meeting, or function; or care for their child if the child’s care center is closed.

The bill also amends state law to require a doctor’s note to be filed with the board of education when the teacher takes sick leave, only when it is used for personal injury or illness, and sets out how school boards may require advance notice of leave.

A version of this bill is also in the Senate (S3440), where it awaits a committee hearing.

Where’s this bill? Reported favorably from the Assembly Labor Committee on March 23 by a vote of 7-1, and referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The Senate version was introduced, and referred to the Senate Education Committee; it has not had a committee vote yet.

Who sponsored it? In the Senate, primary sponsors are Democrats Vin Gopal (Monmouth) and Shirley Turner (Hunterdon/Mercer). In the Assembly, four Democrats are primary sponsors with a number of other Dems and several Republicans as co-sponsors.