Bereavement Leave

The Board of Trustees approved bereavement leave on September 11, 2023. Beginning September 12, 2023, any employee absent for the death of an immediate family member is eligible for the leave.

An employee is entitled to three paid days for the death of each immediate family member.

Per Board Policy DEC(Local), an immediate family member for bereavement leave is defined as:

1. Spouse.

2. Son or daughter, including a biological, adopted, or foster child, a son- or daughter-in-law, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child for whom the employee stands in loco parentis.

3. Parent, stepparent, parent-in-law, or other individual who stands in loco parentis to the employee.

4. Sibling, stepsibling, and sibling-in-law.

5. Grandparent and grandchild.

6. Any person residing in the employee's household at the time of illness or death.

Employees may take up to five local sick days from their leave bank for the death of an immediate family member. Employees may be absent for eight days in total.

Please contact Tracy Schutz (tschutz@nisdtx.org) at 817-215-0043 to discuss the need for additional leave options.

No, school districts must operate under state and local policies that exist at the time. Because the policy did not exist until September 12, 2023, any time off taken before that date could not make use of the new bereavement leave.

Employees do not need to provide documentation but do need to indicate the family member in the absence notes on AESOP. The district does reserve the right to request documentation.

The days are available when an employee has a death of an immediate family member. Days do not accrue year to year.

The leave can be taken at a time that meets the employee’s needs.