Effective Date: August 30, 2019
Last Reviewed: August 30, 2019
The Massachusetts Small Necessities Leave Act (“SNLA”) provides eligible employees with up to 24 hours of unpaid leave during a 12-month period to:
1. Participate in school activities directly related to the “educational advancement” of the employee’s child such as parent-teacher conferences or interviewing for a new school;
2. Accompany the employee’s child to routine medical or dental appointments such as checkups or vaccinations; or
3. To accompany an “elderly relative” of the employee to routine medical or dental appointments or appointments for other professional services related to the elder’s care, such as interviewing at nursing or group homes.
To be eligible an employee must have worked a minimum of 1,250 hours in the preceding twelve (12) month period with Stonehill College and have been employed by the College for at least one (1) year.
Elderly Relative: an individual at least sixty (60) years of age who is related by blood or marriage to the employee.
School: a public or private elementary or secondary school, a Head Start program assisted under the Head Start Act, or a state-licensed children’s daycare facility. Thus, unlicensed daycare arrangements or babysitting services do not qualify. Likewise, accompanying an older child to visit colleges/universities does not apply.
Child: a biological, adopted, foster, or step child; a legal ward; or a child of a person standing in loco parentis. The child must either be under 18 years of age or 18 years of age or older and incapable of self-care because of mental or physical disability.
Eligible employees may take up to twenty-four (24) hours of leave in increments of no less than one (1) hour. For purposes of this Policy, the twenty-four (24) hours of leave will be calculated on a calendar year basis. Eligible employees may elect to use any accrued vacation, personal, or bonus time to be paid for the hours taken under SNLA.
Employees who wish to take SNLA leave must provide seven (7) days’ notice, when foreseeable. If not foreseeable, the employee must give as much notice as practicable.
The College may require certification for the requested leave. Certifications must be kept in the employee’s personnel file in the Office of Human Resources. Any medical documentation that may accompany a certification will be maintained in a separate file in the Office of Human Resources.