Any teacher may request a one year leave of absence without pay. A teacher on such leave shall be regarded as still on staff but shall not earn an increment during that year of absence.
a) All applications for leave of absence shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Division before April 1st with full particulars concerning the reasons for the leave.
b) The Division may limit the number of teachers on leave of absence to one in any one year.
c) Approval or rejection by the Division of such leave shall be decided before May 1st of the year of application for such leave by the teacher.
d) The onus is on the Division to notify any teacher who is being employed to replace a person away on a leave of absence that there may be no position open to him/her when the other teacher returns.
e) Upon return from leave of absence a teacher shall be placed in the same or in an equivalent position with no less than the same salary and benefits, if the original position no longer exists.