COVID-19 Special Leave – Teaching Service

Overview

Teaching service employees who test positive to COVID-19 may apply for up to 5 days of special leave to cover the isolation period recommended by the Department of Health.

Contact information

Contact HR

Policy and Guidelines

Context

The Department of Health has issued public health advice strongly recommending that individuals who test positive to COVID-19 isolate at home. In relation to school staff, this means that staff:

• who test positive to COVID-19 should stay home and isolate for 5 days
• should not attend after 5 days if still symptomatic
• who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school.

Entitlement

Teaching service employees who test positive for COVID-19 are able to apply for up to 5 days of special leave, in addition to existing personal leave entitlements. COVID-19 special leave is available to cover each occasion that an employee tests positive for COVID-19.

COVID-19 special leave covers any recommended isolation period (up to 5 days from the date of testing positive to COVID-19) that coincides with an employee’s usual scheduled duties. For example:

• if days one and 2 of isolation fall on a weekend where the employee does not have usual duties, then the employee may apply for 3 days of leave to cover the remainder of the recommended isolation period
• part-time employees may apply for leave to cover the relevant days that they are not able to attend for normal duties due to a recommended isolation period.

To demonstrate their eligibility to access COVID-19 special leave an employee needs to provide evidence of their positive test result in eduPay, such as:

• a picture of their positive rapid antigen test
• a copy of a text message confirming a positive PCR test result
• a certificate from a medical practitioner.

Staff who are unable to return to work due to being unwell and who have already taken special leave to cover their 5 days of recommended isolation may access personal leave for the duration of the time that they are unfit for duty, with a medical certificate.

Remote work

Nothing precludes a teaching service employee who tests positive to COVID-19 from performing remote work during the recommended isolation period if agreed by both the principal and the relevant employee, and the employee is well enough to perform the agreed duties.

Resources

Application process

Employees can apply for COVID-19 special leave through eduPay.

For more information about personal leave refer to: Personal Leave — Teaching Service