School Holidays
The official school calendar is subject to change year to year and will be published each year prior to the start of the academic school year. The official school holidays generally include:
New Years’ Day (January)
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January)
Spring Break (March or April)
Easter Holiday (March or April)
Memorial Day (May)
Juneteenth (June)
Independence Day (July)
Labor Day (September)
Indigenous Peoples' Day (October)
Thanksgiving Holiday (November)
Christmas Holiday (determined annually by administration, December/January)
Vacation Leave
Part-Time Employees: Except as otherwise set forth in their individual employee contracts, employees who work less than 30 hours per week receive all school holidays and are entitled to one-half of the paid vacation time provided to full-time 12-month employees.
10-Month Employees: Employees who do not work more than ten (10) months out of the year receive all school holidays but do not get any other vacation leave.
Full-Time 12-Month Employees: Full-time 12-month employees shall receive all official school holidays and paid vacation time as set forth herein. Employees who are employed on a 12-month calendar basis, including administrative personnel who have been employed by Darlington for fewer than ten (10) years of continuous service, may take up to two weeks vacation per year. Members who have had ten (10) or more years of continuous service will be entitled to three weeks vacation per year. Vacation periods shall be scheduled so that adequate administrative coverage will be maintained throughout the year.
Vacation time does not accrue from year to year.
Sick Leave Policy
Part-Time Employees: Part-time employees working less than 30 hours per week are allowed five (5) paid sick days per year. Employees accrue sick leave at the beginning of the contract year. Unused sick leave may be carried over from year to year with a maximum accrual of 25 days.
Full-time 10- and 12-Month Employees: Full time 10 and 12 month employees will earn 10 days sick leave per fiscal year. Employees accrue sick days at the beginning of the contract year. Unused sick leave may be carried over from year to year with a maximum accrual of 50 days.
In the event an illness extends beyond the allowable number of accumulated sick leave days, salary shall cease on the date that such available sick leave days are exhausted. Any salary adjustment is prorated on the contractual rather than a pay-period basis.
Darlington abides by the conditions specified in the Family Medical Leave Act. Please refer to the Family Medical Leave Act as outlined in Section III below or for more specific information regarding requests for leave for qualifying events under the Family Medical Leave Act, contact the Business Office.
Personal Leave Days
Employees may use up to four paid personal days per year. Personal days should be requested at least two weeks in advance to the employee’s immediate supervisor. Under some circumstances it may not be possible to grant an employee leave for the requested personal day. Employees who work directly with students should not use personal leave to extend holiday periods. Personal leave days may not be accrued and must be used within the current fiscal year.
Unpaid Time Off
If an employee has used more than their allotted personal leave days and vacation days, or sick days in the case of illness, their pay will be reduced by the Daily Pay Rate for each day’s absence. This Daily Pay Rate will be calculated by taking the Minimum Expected Workdays in the fiscal year and dividing the employee’s annual salary by that number. This rate will vary for employees depending on the number of workable days for 10- and 12-month employees, as well as the employee’s salary. The number of Minimum Expected Workdays for 10-month and 12-month employees for 2023-2024 is listed below and is based on the School Major Events Calendar published on the Darlington Website in December for the following year. Any positions falling outside a standard contract will have this number determined individually by the supervisor and Human Resources and will be communicated to the individual.
An employee may request their specific Daily Pay Rate from the Human Resources Office at any time. Unpaid time off must still be approved by the direct supervisor and may be taken in whole or half day increments.
Bereavement Days
All full-time employees are entitled to five paid days off in the event of the death of an immediate family member, as defined by FMLA policy. For out-of-town arrangements, employees may request up to five (5) days of unpaid bereavement leave if needed. Accrued vacation time or an unpaid leave of absence may be used to extend the leave upon request.
Religious Holidays
Employees should notify their Department Head or Division Director in advance for absences due to observance of religious holidays.
Snow /Ice Policy
If classes are canceled due to snow or ice, on campus faculty are expected to report and help with supervision of resident students. Off-campus faculty who can safely report are encouraged to do so.
Family and Medical Leave
FMLA Eligibility
In accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), it is Darlington’s policy to grant up to 12 weeks of family or medical leave during any 12-month period. Family Medical Leave is available to employees who have worked for at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months. Family and Medical Leave may be taken for one or more of the following reasons: 1) birth of your child and care for your child following birth, 2) care for your child following adoption, 3) care for a child placed in your foster care, 4) care for your child, spouse or parent who has a serious health condition, 5) your own disability caused by a serious health condition, or 6) as otherwise provided by the FMLA.
All other leave (sick/personal and vacation) to which the employee is entitled will run concurrently will any FMLA leave. (For example, when an employee with five days of accrued paid leave requests thirty days of FMLA leave for a qualifying event, the employee’s five days of accrued leave will run concurrently with the first five days of FMLA leave and the employee will be paid for such five days. The remaining twenty-five days of FMLA leave will be unpaid. At the end of the thirty-day period, the employee will have exhausted five days of paid leave and thirty days of FMLA leave.) The employee may use Short Term Disability insurance (if available) to be paid the rest of the FMLA.
FMLA leave is for a maximum of 12 weeks annually for any single or combined purpose. In calculating the 12-month period Darlington uses the “rolling backward” method, which provides a snapshot of the 12-month period immediately prior to the FMLA requested leave. This 12-month period changes daily. As each new day is added to the 12-month period, one day from 12 months ago is eliminated. Example: A qualifying event occurs on 12/1/11, look back to see if FMLA time was taken from 12/1/10 to 12/1/11, any time taken during those 12 months is subtracted from the available 12-week entitlement. To apply for FMLA leave-of-absence, obtain the proper form from Human Resources, complete it fully, and return it to the Human Resources Office. The time granted, conditions of re-employment, and other pertinent conditions will be recorded in the written authorization, and a copy will be sent to the employee.
The length of the leave will be determined by the need, the allowable legal time, and business necessities. Under no circumstances will any leave be extended beyond 12 weeks in any one year. Requests for an extension of a leave must be made and approved in writing before the expiration of the original leave. Failure to report to work by the end of the leave will be considered a voluntary resignation. In order to continue coverage of any insurance benefits provided to the employee, including coverage for family health and dental insurance, the employee must timely pay his or her portion of the insurance premium to Human Resources each month while on FMLA leave or these coverages may lapse for lack of payment. Health insurance coverage provided by Darlington to the employee will continue as long as the employee pays their part of the premium. Employees who meet the necessary requirements will be entitled to return to the same job that he/she left, unless reduction-in-force rules apply, or if returning the employee to the same job he/she left would impose an undue hardship on Darlington.
Notice of Intent to Take FMLA Leave
Employees seeking to take FMLA leave must notify their supervisor as early as possible of their intent to take a leave of absence as provided by FMLA. If the medical treatment is planned or foreseeable, employees must give 30 days’ notice of leave and schedule the leave so that the business of Darlington School is not disrupted unnecessarily. A request for a Family and Medical Leave form must be completed 30 days in advance. In the case of unforeseen circumstances, notice must be given as soon as practical, ordinarily two days after learning of the need. By failing to give appropriate notice where foreseeable, the employee may delay the start of the leave under FMLA.
In the event that an employee is absent from work for three (3) consecutive days due to the employee’s own or a family member’s serious health condition, Darlington School may send the FMLA notice and forms to that employee in order to establish whether or not the leave qualifies under the FMLA. An absence may be preliminary designated as FMLA qualifying pending additional investigation and receipt of required medical certification forms to establish if the leave qualifies under FMLA. Upon approval, such leave will be retroactive to the first day of absence.
Employees with questions regarding FMLA leave or eligibility should contact the Human Resources Office.
