School employees: leaves of absence: emergencies and mandatory evacuation orders.

Existing law authorizes governing boards of school districts to grant leaves of absence to persons employed in positions requiring certification qualifications and to persons employed in the classified service of the school district. For purposes of state apportionments, if the average daily attendance of a school district, county office of education, or charter school during a fiscal year has been materially decreased during a fiscal year because of an emergency, existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to estimate the average daily attendance in a manner that credits to the school district, county office of education, or charter school the total average daily attendance that would have been credited had the emergency not occurred. This bill would prohibit the governing board of a school district from requiring an employee of the school district who is employed in a position requiring certification qualifications or a classified employee to use sick, vacation, or other paid leave if the school is forced to close because of a mandatory evacuation order or certain emergencies, or if the employee is unable to report to work because they reside in an area that is subject to an evacuation order or affected by certain emergencies, and would require the governing board of the school district to ensure the employee is provided their regular pay for any days missed. The bill would require the governing board of a school district to adopt rules and regulations requiring and prescribing the manner by which employees shall prove their inability to report to work because they reside in an area that is subject to a mandatory evacuation order or affected by certain emergencies. By imposing new duties on school districts to create new rules and regulations, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.