The governing board of any school district may grant any employee of the district employed in a position requiring certification qualifications, a leave of absence for not to exceed one year for the purpose of permitting study or travel by the employee which will benefit the schools and pupils of the district. The governing board may provide that the leave of absence be taken in separate six-month periods or separate quarters rather than for a continuous one-year period, provided that the leave of absence for both of the separate six-month periods or any or all quarters shall be commenced and completed within a three-year period. Any period of service by the individual intervening between the two separate six-month periods or separate quarters of the leave of absence shall comprise a part of the service required for a subsequent leave of absence.
(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 922, Sec. 96. Effective January 1, 1995.)