School & District Management From Our Research Center

Half of K-12 Schools Surveyed Aren’t Giving Employees Extra Paid Time Off for COVID

By Mark Lieberman — February 15, 2022 2 min read
Close up of an unrecognizable woman of color texting on a smartphone and holding a thermometer and tissue.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Many teachers and other school staff members who missed work because of COVID-19 this winter had to drain their regular allotted sick days, or worse, forgo getting paid altogether while they were stuck at home. Some had to miss 10 or more days if they were seriously ill or required by public health guidelines to quarantine.

But slightly more than half of school district leaders and principals who answered a nationally representative EdWeek Research Center survey in early February said they aren’t offering workers sick time beyond what they’re typically allotted.

Another 12 percent said their school or district is offering between one and five extra days. Most people affected by the virus experience health or child-care challenges for longer.

On the more-generous end, roughly 1 in 10 school district leaders and principals said they’re offering employees more than 10 days of COVID-19 leave on top of their regular allotment.

COVID-19 has killed 921,000 people in America, including more than 1,250 educators and 560 children, and sickened millions more.

In 2020, Congress approved the country’s first-ever paid leave mandate, requiring many employers including school districts to offer employees time off to deal with COVID-19. That mandate expired, though, as did a voluntary tax incentive policy Congress implemented in its place for part of 2021 to entice employers to extend paid leave offerings.

Now it’s up to individual employers, including local school boards and district administrators, to decide whether employees should get paid if they have to stay home because of COVID-19.

Restrictive policies on extra COVID-19 days off particularly affect younger or newer employees who haven’t accrued enough leave; new parents who already used all of their allotted time off; and full- or part-time school workers who don’t typically get robust sick leave benefits.

A majority of school district leaders and principals responding to the EdWeek survey—roughly 57 percent—said their COVID-19 leave policy applies equally to all school employees. But some reported more specific restrictions:

  • Twenty-five percent said employees can only use COVID-specific leave if they test positive for the virus. That means they couldn’t use it if they had to quarantine for exposure, or for taking care of a sick or quarantining family member.
  • Eight percent said only vaccinated employees can take advantage of COVID-specific leave. Unvaccinated employees would have to use their regular sick leave.
  • Seven percent said only people exposed to COVID-19 at work can use COVID-specific leave.

Education Week wrote last month about teachers who have lost pay due to COVID-19 or felt pressured to return to the classroom before their quarantine or isolation period ended. Advocates for expanding paid leave for COVID-related absences argue that it’s beneficial for public health when teachers don’t have to choose between earning an essential paycheck and spreading a deadly disease to colleagues or students.

Some district leaders say they’re worried about encouraging people to miss work or remain unvaccinated by allowing them too many days to stay home and get paid. Others are concerned about exacerbating staffing shortages that have plagued school buildings all year.

For more on schools’ varied approaches to paid leave during the pandemic, read this explainer.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion The Stunning Resignation of UVA President Jim Ryan—and Why It Matters
The university president’s departure is more than just a headline. It’s a lesson in leadership.
2 min read
Opinion Licensed Not for Reuse Wait What FCG
Canva
School & District Management In Their Own Words This Custodian Got Students to Stop Vandalizing and Take Pride in Their School
Andy Markus, the 2025 Education Support Professional of the Year, helped boost behavior and engagement in his Utah district.
5 min read
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year.
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 representative assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional of the Year for his mentorship of students.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
School & District Management What the Research Says About School Boards: How Much Conflict Really Is There?
Plus, how competitive are board elections? How much do teachers' union endorsements matter?
7 min read
Houston ISD's appointed school board votes on the "District of Innovation" status during their monthly work session meeting at HISD Central Office on Sept. 7, 2023 in Houston.
Houston's appointed school board takes a vote during a meeting on Sept. 7, 2023 in the district's central office. A number of studies from recent years have answered questions about school boards' makeup, how competitive board elections are, whether conflict is on the rise, and more.
Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP
School & District Management Opinion How a Weekly Email to My Staff Made Me a Better District Leader
Writing helps make sense out of what feels messy and focus us on what's most important.
George Philhower
5 min read
Blue hand holding red pen.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty + Education Week