Public school employee sick leave

2025-2026 Bill 5169: Public school employee sick leave - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 5169
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Teeple, Hartnett, Landing, Bustos, Sessions, Ford and M.M. Smith
Document Path: LC-0626WAB26.docx
Introduced in the House on February 11, 2026
Currently residing in the House
Summary: Public school employee sick leave
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/11/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 45
)

2/11/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Ways and Means
(
House Journal-page 45
)

2/12/2026

House

Member(s) request name added as sponsor: M.M. Smith

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/11/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
SECTION
59-1-400
, RELATING TO SICK LEAVE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEES, SO AS TO
REQUIRE PAYMENT FOR ACCRUED BUT UNUSED SICK LEAVE TO TEACHERS UPON SEPARATION
OF EMPLOYMENT FROM A SCHOOL DISTRICT EXCEPT WHEN BEGINNING WORK IN A DISTRICT
THAT ACCEPTS TRANSFER OF THE ACCRUED SICK LEAVE WITHIN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF
TIME.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
59-1-400
(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to
read:

(
A) All full-time employees of public
schools accrue sick leave on the basis of one and one-fourth days of sick leave
for each month of active service or twelve days for nine months of active
service. Sick leave accrued but not used may be accumulated up to ninety days
if the employees do not violate their respective contracts. Provisions for the
additional benefits provided for in this section must be made on the same basis
as existing sick leave benefits.

(
1)
A school employee using sick leave as provided for in
this section may not be terminated from employment nor during a continuing sick
leave of less than ninety-one days.

(
2)
The provisions of this section do not apply to
employees of a school district which provides more liberal sick leave benefits.
Any benefits accrued under school district sick leave policies in effect prior
to July 1, 1976, are not lost as a result of this section.

(
3)
Sick leave accumulated in compliance with this section
is transferable to any school district in the State or to the State Department
of Education by the employee with the earned leave.

(
4) If a teacher has accrued sick leave
in compliance with this section and separates from employment with a district, the
district must pay the teacher for the unused portion of this accrued sick leave
within thirty days of separation unless during that thirty day period the teacher
enters a contract for employment with another district that allows the teacher
to transfer to the district such unused leave for use by the teacher during his
employment with that new district.

S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on February 11, 2026 at 1:43 PM