4500Connecticut Paid Sick Leave Law Notice

In compliance with Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 31-57r et seq.

Overview

Effective January 1, 2025, Connecticut General Statutes §§31-57r et seq. (the “Paid Sick Leave Law”) requires that the Meriden Board of Education (the “Board”) provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per benefit year to qualifying employees in accordance with statutory requirements (“PSL”). An employer that offers any other paid leave (such as sick, personal, or vacation leave), or combination of other paid leave, including unlimited paid time off (collectively, “Board Paid Leave”), that may be used for the same purposes and under the same conditions as those described in the law, and accrued at a rate equal to or greater than that required by law, shall be deemed in compliance the Paid Sick Leave Law. As such, in each benefit year, the Board shall permit employees to use their first 40 hours of Board Paid Leave in accordance with Paid Sick Leave Law requirements. The use of such Board Paid Leave for the first 40 hours of the benefit year shall run concurrently with PSL and satisfy the Board’s obligations under the Paid Sick Leave Law. Any Board Paid Leave accrued and used in excess of 40 hours in a benefit year shall be subject to all applicable collective bargaining, contract, or Board policy requirements.

Covered Employees

All Board employees are covered by the Paid Sick Leave law, except seasonal employees, defined as those employees who work 120 days or less in any year.

Accrual and Use

Employees shall accrue PSL at a rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per benefit year, or faster if permitted to accrue Board Paid Leave by an applicable collective bargaining agreement, contract, or Board policy. For employees of the Board, the benefit year is the period of July 1 - June 30.

Employees shall be entitled to use their accrued PSL 120 calendar days after their date of hire, or earlier if permitted to use Board Paid Leave by an applicable collective bargaining agreement, contract, or Board policy. Employees may use accrued PSL in one-hour increments.

Employees may carry over up to 40 unused accrued hours of PSL to the following benefit year, unless an employee’s Board Paid Leave, as provided for by collective bargaining agreement or contract, is frontloaded and available for the employee’s immediate use at the beginning of the benefit year. If permitted to be carried over, employees are entitled to use only 40 hours of PSL in any benefit year.

Permitted Uses

Employees shall be permitted to use up to 40 hours per benefit year of PSL for the following reasons:

An employee’s own illness, injury, or health condition; the medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of the employee’s mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; preventative medical care for an employee’s mental or physical health; or a mental health wellness day.

An employee’s family member's illness, injury, or health condition; the medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of the family member’s mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or preventative medical care for an employee’s family member’s mental or physical health.

For closure by order of a public official, due to a public health emergency, of the Board’s place of business or a family member’s school or place of care.

For determination by a health authority having jurisdiction, the Board, a family member’s employer, or a health care provider that the employee or the employee’s family member poses a risk to the health of others due to such individual’s exposure to a communicable disease, whether or not the employee or family member contracted the communicable illness.

Where an employee or an employee’s family member is a victim of family violence or sexual assault, provided the employee is not the alleged perpetrator of such family violence or sexual assault, for medical care or psychological or other counseling for physical or psychological injury or disability; obtaining services from a victim’s services organization; relocating due to such family violence or sexual assault; or participating in any civil or criminal proceedings related to or resulting from such family violence or sexual assault.

For purposes of PSL provided in accordance with the Paid Sick Leave law:

“Family member” is defined as a spouse, sibling, child, grandparent, grandchild, or parent of an employee, or an individual related to the employee by blood or by an affinity whose close association to the employee shows to be equivalent to those family relationships.

“Mental health wellness day” means a day during which an employee attends to the employee’s emotional and psychological well-being in lieu of attending a regularly scheduled shift.

Separation

Employees shall not be entitled to payment of unused accrued PSL upon termination of employment.

Notice and Documentation

An employee is not required to provide advance notice before using PSL. However, when reporting an absence for which the employee will use PSL, employees should do their best to provide notice as soon as practicable. For the use of Board Paid Leave, employees must follow the notice provisions of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, contract and/or Board policy.

The Board shall not require an employee to provide documentation that PSL is being taken for one of the purposes permitted by the Paid Sick Leave law. However, employees may be asked to confirm that the use of PSL conforms to one of the statutory reasons set forth above for the use of PSL. For the use of Board Paid Leave, employees must follow the documentation provisions of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, contract and/or Board policy.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) and Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (“CT FMLA”) are separate laws, and the Board and eligible employees have certain rights and obligations under those laws. If leave is taken for a potentially FMLA- and/or CT FMLA-qualifying reason, and PSL will run concurrently, the requirements of the federal and/or CT FMLA must be adhered to by both the employee and employer.

Retaliation and Discrimination Prohibited

The Board prohibits retaliation or discrimination against any employee for requesting or using PSL in accordance with the law; requesting or using Board Paid Leave in accordance with applicable contract or policy provisions; and /or filing a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Labor alleging that the Board has violated the Paid Sick Leave law.

Complaints

An employee aggrieved by an alleged violation of the Paid Sick Leave Law may file a complaint with the Labor Commissioner. More information is available on the Connecticut Department of Labor website at https://portal.ct.gov/dol/knowledge-base/articles/wage-and-workplace-standards/paid-sick-leave?language=en_US.

Notice Requirements

This notice shall be provided to new employees at the time of hiring. The Board shall also display a poster, in English and Spanish, in a conspicuous place accessible to employees.

Recordkeeping

The Board shall track and keep records, for three years, of hours worked and PSL accrued and used for every employee.

ADOPTED: March 17, 2026

APPROVED: March 17, 2026

Approved 3/17/2026
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