(a) The governing board of a school district shall provide by rules and regulations for industrial accident and illness leaves of absence for all certificated employees. The governing board of a school district that is created or whose boundaries or status is changed by an action to organize or reorganize school districts completed after the effective date of this section shall provide by rules and regulations for these leaves of absence on or before the date on which the organization or reorganization of the school district becomes effective for all purposes.

(b) The rules or regulations shall include the following provisions:

(1) Allowable leave shall be for not less than 60 days during which the schools of the school district are required to be in session or when the employee would otherwise have been performing work for the school district in any one fiscal year for the same accident.

(2) Allowable leave shall not be accumulated from year to year.

(3) Industrial accident or illness leave shall commence on the first day of absence.

(4) (A)  If a certificated employee is absent from his or her duties on account of an industrial accident or illness, he or she shall be paid the portion of the salary due him or her for any month in which the absence occurs as, when added to his or her temporary disability indemnity under Division 4 or Division 4.5 of the Labor Code, will result in a payment to him or her of not more than his or her full salary.

(B) The phrase “full salary” as used in this subdivision shall be computed so that it shall not be less than the employee’s “average weekly earnings” as that phrase is used in Section 4453 of the Labor Code. For purposes of this section, however, the maximum and minimum average weekly earnings set forth in Section 4453 of the Labor Code shall otherwise not be deemed applicable.

(5) Industrial accident or illness leave shall be reduced by one day for each day of authorized absence regardless of a temporary disability indemnity award.

(6) When an industrial accident or illness leave overlaps into the next fiscal year, the employee shall be entitled to only the amount of unused leave due him or her for the same illness or injury.

(c) Upon termination of the industrial accident or illness leave, the employee shall be entitled to the benefits provided in Sections 44977, 44978, and 44983, and for purposes of each of these sections, the employee’s absence shall be deemed to have commenced on the date of termination of the industrial accident or illness leave, provided that if the employee continues to receive temporary disability indemnity, the employee may elect to take as much of his or her accumulated sick leave as, when added to his or her temporary disability indemnity, will result in a payment to him or her of not more than his or her full salary.

(d) The governing board of a school district may, by rule or regulation, provide for an additional leave of absence for industrial accident or illness as it deems appropriate.

(e) During a paid leave of absence, the employee may endorse to the school district the temporary disability indemnity checks received on account of the employee’s industrial accident or illness. The school district, in turn, shall issue the employee appropriate salary warrants for payment of the employee’s salary and shall deduct normal retirement, other authorized contributions, and the temporary disability indemnity, if any, actually paid to and retained by the employee for periods covered by the salary warrants.

(f) In the absence of rules and regulations adopted by the governing board of a school district pursuant to this section, an employee shall be entitled to industrial accident or illness leave as provided in this section but without limitation as to the number of days of that leave.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 86, Sec. 62. (SB 1171) Effective January 1, 2017.)