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HomeEducation CodeCh. 4Art. 3§ 44985 School Employee Bereavement Leave

§ 44985 School Employee Bereavement Leave

Education Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 44985 School Employee Bereavement Leave

Key Takeaways

  • •School employees with special certificates can take up to 3 days off if a close family member dies. If they need to travel to another state, they can take up to 5 days off.
  • •They still get paid for these days off, and these days won’t be taken away from their other vacation or sick days.
  • •The school can decide to give more days off or include more family members in this rule.
  • •Close family includes parents, grandparents, grandchildren, spouse, kids, siblings, and any relative living with the employee.

Example

A teacher’s mother passes away, and the funeral is in another state.

The teacher can take 5 days off to travel and attend the funeral. They will still get paid for these days, and it won’t affect their other sick or vacation days.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 44985 School Employee Bereavement Leave

Every person employed by a school district in a position requiring certification qualifications is entitled to a leave of absence, not to exceed three days, or five days if out-of-state travel is required, on account of the death of any member of his immediate family. No deduction shall be made from the salary of such employee nor shall such leave be deducted from leave granted by other sections of this code or provided by the governing board of the district. The governing board may enlarge the benefits of this section and may expand the class of relatives listed below as members of the immediate family. Members of the immediate family, as used in this section, means the mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, or a grandchild of the employee or of the spouse of the employee, and the spouse, son, son-in-law, daughter, daughter-in-law, brother, or sister of the employee, or any relative living in the immediate household of the employee. (Enacted by Stats. 1976, Ch. 1010.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

leave of absenceimmediate familycertification qualificationsgoverning board

Related Statutes

  • § 44963 Additional Leave Authority
  • § 44964 Certified Employee Sick Leave
  • § 44966 Teacher Study Leave
  • § 44974 Employee Leave Liability Waiver
  • § 44967 Teacher Leave Eligibility Periods

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Education Code. Section 44985.
View Official Source