If you are a full-time teacher in Illinois, you are entitled to a minimum of 10 sick days per school year. You are also entitled to 10 sick days if you are an employee that is eligible to participate in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund under the "600-Hour Standard." The following count as reasons for sick leave:

• Personal illness
• Mental or behavioral health complications
• Quarantine at home
• Serious illness or death in the immediate family or household
• Birth adoption
• Placement for adoption
• Acceptance of a child in need of foster care

If you are using sick leave time for birth adoption, placement for adoption, or acceptance of a child in need of foster care, your school can ask you for proof that the formal process is underway. 

If you take more than a 3-day long absence for sick leave, your school board is allowed to require you to present a certificate of proof from:

• A physician licensed in Illinois
• A mental health professional licensed in Illinois that is providing you with ongoing care
• A chiropractic physician licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987
• A licensed advanced practice registered nurse
• A licensed physician assistant
• A spiritual adviser or practitioner of the your faith

If your school asks you to turn in a certificate for a sick leave absence of less than 3 days, they must pay for the expenses you had to pay to get that certificate.

Teachers and other eligible employees are also entitled to use up to 30 days of paid sick leave because of the birth of a child, even if the person using the paid sick leave is not recovering from childbirth. This kind of sick leave can be used any time within the 12-month period following the birth of the child.

Also note that an employee of a school district, public university, or community college in Illinois can be eligible for family and medical leave similar to that provided under the federal FMLA. To be eligible, the person must have been employed by the school for at least 12 months and worked at least 1,000 hours in the previous 12-month period.