Bereavement Leave
Georgetown
Independent School District
Bereavement Leave Process
Bereavement leave is a new benefit, approved by the GISD Board of Trustees beginning September 20, 2021 that provides up to three (3) days of paid leave for employees when there is a death in their immediate family. This new kind of leave is separate from and in addition to other forms of paid leave. Because of the necessary approval process, employees need to initially enter their own leave time (or unpaid “dock”, if you have no available paid leave). Once approved by Human Resources, up to three days of paid bereavement leave will be issued and the employee’s leave balance will be adjusted accordingly.
Steps for Requesting Bereavement Leave
- Enter local leave, state personal leave, or comp time off as you would normally do through Skyward Employee Access and if applicable request a substitute in Frontline (AESOP). If the employee has no accrued leave available, they will enter the code “dock” when entering an absence.
- Complete, print and sign the Bereavement Leave Request form* /formulario de solicitud de licencia por duelo, and send it to Human Resources (email: Benefits@georgetownisd.org or fax: 512-943-1894) along with one of the following:
- Obituary or Obituary Link
- Funeral service program
- Death certificate
- Newspaper article, or
- Other similar documents
* Your immediate supervisor can also complete the request form on your behalf.
- Human Resources will review the Bereavement Leave Request and documentation, verify eligibility, and work with Payroll to convert up to three days of leave or unpaid time to bereavement leave. Any personal leave time taken will be restored at that time. Human Resources will notify the employee if the request for Bereavement Leave was approved.
Definition of “Immediate Family” for Purposes of Bereavement Leave
(from Board Policy DEC (Local))
Immediate family member is defined as:
- Spouse
- Child (includes a biological, adopted, or foster child, a son- or daughter-in-law, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child for whom the employee stands in loco parentis
- Parent (includes stepparent and parent-in-law, or other individual who stands in loco parentis to the employee)
- Sibling (includes step-siblings and sibling-in-law)
- Grandparent
- Grandchild
- Any person residing in the employee’s household at the time of illness or death
Please contact HR via email (Benefits@georgetownisd.org) or call Brooke Irwin (512-943-5000 x6092) if you have any questions.