Sick leave banks are a common staple of teacher contracts. Although these banks may benefit employees, they expose school districts to a variety of complications and unintended consequences, including administrative complexity, potential cash flow implications, cost disparities, increased absenteeism, instructional instability, privacy issues, and…

A survey of an upstate New York (East Lake) elementary school's teachers revealed that age and leave accumulation were the only factors related to absenteeism. Outside demands on teachers' time may explain the age factor. Teachers near retirement and those with more accumulated leave had significantly lower absenteeism. Incentive plans are…

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a situation in which at lease 15-20 percent of a building's occupants exhibit physical symptoms in a pattern that is linked to the building in which they work. Describes health effect, factors and causes of SBS, implications for risk management, and precautions school officials should take. (MLF)