Miss Albers, a human-resources staff member, presented personnel changes and said one item required board approval: a request for leave without pay for an employee. "It is a leave without pay, and it will require a board approval for 1 of our employees," Albers said.

Albers told the committee that employees who take leave without pay may maintain their district insurance only if they pay both portions of the premium, and that employees sign an agreement not to work elsewhere for pay during the leave. She also said the collective-agreement rule limits employees to one leave without pay in a seven-year period. "Contractually, once we would grant a leave without pay, no employee can then request another 1, for another 7 year period," Albers said.

Board member Miss Dysart moved to grant the leave without pay for the bus driver; the motion was seconded by Miss Rodney and passed (recorded in the meeting as approved by the committee). The committee did not identify the employee by name during the public discussion.