Teaching Relief Program for Faculty - UTDPP1109

Policy Statement

This teaching relief program is designed to provide flexibility in the teaching obligations of full-time faculty members at the University of Texas at Dallas who are the primary or co-equal caregiver to a newborn infant or to a newly adopted infant or child. The program serves to protect the University's investment in its faculty while supporting the University's research mission.

Eligibility

Full-time faculty who have been employed for at least two semesters at UTD and who are primary caregivers for a newborn infant, a newly adopted child, or a newly placed foster child under the age of three are eligible.

Terms

One semester of teaching relief or the remainder of a semester after conditions of FMLA or Parental Leave are met, as applicable, per birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child under three. Teaching Relief should not be used for circumstances where use of sick leave is appropriate. If a release to return to work is required under UTD's Leaves of Absence policy (UTDBP3054), faculty members must comply with this requirement before the teaching relief begins. During the period of teaching relief, other duties are to be assigned instead of teaching duties. The application must be approved by the department chair, dean, and Chief Academic Officer, based on the criteria set out below. Under the terms of this program, the teaching load of the faculty member in the semester before or any time after the leave will not be affected by the terms of the leave. The teaching relief must be 50% or less of the faculty member's annual teaching load. A faculty member may take up to 2 teaching relief semesters in the course of their total employment at UTD.

FMLA policies:
https://www.utdallas.edu/hr/benefits/leave/#fml
https://policy.utdallas.edu/utdbp3054

Procedure

Application – Faculty member must submit an application at the earliest possible date, preferably 6 months in advance of the semester in which teaching relief is requested.

Application must include:

1. A request establishing the eligibility for the teaching relief;
2. A sufficiently detailed description of the work to be done in place of the applicant's normal teaching responsibilities;
3. A defined work product to be advanced;
4. An adequate method for evaluation of the work by the department chair or dean during the semester; and
5. The faculty member teaching load in the semester before and after the leave must be specified.

In the case that both parents are employed by UTD, each may take the teaching relief, either in consecutive semesters or simultaneously, as best fits their needs and those of their department(s).

Approval – Approval is contingent on the following findings:

1. The instructional responsibilities of the department or program can be met.
2. The department or program will continue to be in compliance with applicable statutes and policies, including:
   1. Texas Government Code 658.002 Working Hours Required for Salaried Employees
   2. Texas Government Code 658.007 Working Hours for Employees of Institutions of Higher Education
   3. Texas Education Code 51.402 Report of Institutional and Academic Duties
   4. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Faculty Workload Guidelines
   5. UT System Regents Rule 31006: Faculty Workload and Reporting Requirements
   6. UTD Academic Workload Policy, UTDPP1060: Minimum Faculty Academic Workload Requirement

Approval by the Chief Academic Officer - The chair or dean should submit the application to the Chief Academic Officer, along with his or her written review regarding eligibility and approval. Upon final review, the Chief Academic Officer will issue a written decision to the faculty member and appropriate dean and/or department chair. The decision of the Chief Academic Officer is final.