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District proposes handbook revisions: stiffer bus fight consequences, unauthorized‑leave rules, annual leave cap and tenured teacher charge process
Summary
Staff presented multiple proposed revisions to employee‑related policies including consequences for fighting on buses (possible loss of transportation for remainder of year), clarification of 'unauthorized leave' and job abandonment (termination after 10 consecutive days absent), a 20‑day cap on annual leave carryover (with grandfathering), and an
NATCHITOCHES, La. — District staff presented a package of proposed policy updates addressing employee conduct, absences, annual leave payouts and discipline procedures for tenured teachers.
The executive report (Russ Dancy) and staff explained the changes are intended to restore clarity and procedural details that were removed during an earlier policy consolidation. Staff emphasized the need to define unauthorized leave and job abandonment and to limit long‑term financial exposure from large annual‑leave payouts.
On student transportation safety, district staff proposed aligning bus‑fight consequences with the district’s broader fight policy and adding the authority to revoke bus transportation privileges for severe or repeated offenses — including suspension for the remainder of the school year in extreme cases. "We are attempting to align it more... with the fight policy, but also giving us the the right to be able to suspend those privileges for even as for the rest of the school year," a staff presenter said.
Staff also proposed additions to the employee absence policy to define unauthorized leave and to make clear that "Any employee on unauthorized leave shall receive no pay for those days which constitute the unauthorized leave and may be subject to dismissal and or other disciplinary actions." The handbook revisions would define job abandonment as absence for more than 10 consecutive days without explanation and indicate that termination proceedings could follow in such cases.
On annual and personal leave for 12‑month employees, the draft would limit accrual and payout exposure by allowing employees to carry over only five days into the next year and by capping the accumulated balance at 20 days going forward; existing employees with larger balances would be grandfathered until they drop below the cap, at which point accrual would stop until their balance falls under 20 days. Staff said sick‑leave payout on retirement remains capped at 25 days per district policy.
The package also adds specific language to the discipline and dismissal process for tenured teachers, including an explicit requirement that tenured teachers receive written charges from the superintendent or designee and be afforded time to respond — a procedural step staff said was recommended by legal counsel to align policy with statutory requirements.
Staff noted that FMLA considerations and exceptional cases (for example, an employee hospitalized and unable to communicate) would be handled in context, and they described the typical sequence for tenured teacher discipline: a 10‑day charge letter, opportunity to respond, then (if necessary) a hearing before an independent hearing officer.
The board did not vote on the policy package during the meeting; staff said the draft updates reflect counsel recommendations and will be returned for formal consideration at a subsequent meeting.
