After completing a year of employment, an employee may apply, in writing, for personal leave. This leave is an approved absence without pay or benefits and is generally reserved for extraordinary, medical or emergency circumstances. The application shall state the reason for the personal leave request and the length of leave requested. Personal leave may be granted at the sole discretion of the district and shall not exceed three calendar months. No benefits shall accrue during the personal leave. An employee who fails to return to work at the end of the personal leave or who accepts employment elsewhere during the leave without the district’s consent will be considered to have resigned without the required notice. Employees on personal leave are responsible for paying all costs associated with maintaining their own, their spouse’s, or domestic partner’s, and their dependents’ benefit plan. [Res. 788 § 1 (Exh. 1), 2019; Res. 767 § 3.3, 2018.]