The Town will comply with the requirements of the Massachusetts Small Necessities Leave Act (SNLA), M.G.L. c. 149, s.52D, as may be amended, which allows SNLA-eligible employees up to a total of 24 hours of leave during any 12-month period for the following purposes:

1. to participate in school activities such as parent-teacher conferences or interviewing for a new school;
2. to accompany the child of the employee to routine medical or dental appointments, such as check-ups or vaccinations;
3. to accompany an older adult relative of the employee to routine medical or dental appointments or appointments for professional services related to the elder’s care, such as interviewing at nursing or group homes.

SNLA leave may consist of either or both paid and unpaid leave.  The Town may require the employee to substitute accrued paid leave for any leave provided under the SNLA. 

To be eligible for SNLA leave, the employee must have been employed by the Town for at least 12 months and provided at least 1,250 hours of service to the Town during the previous 12-month period.  

Small Necessities Leave Act Advisory

The Town shall comply with all applicable federal and state regulations that provide paid and/or unpaid military leave, including M.G.L. Chapter 33, Section 59, which has been adopted by the Town.  An employee may elect to voluntarily use any of their accrued paid leave to cover periods of military leave that would otherwise be unpaid by the Town.

 An employee who requires leave to meet military commitments must notify the Director in writing of the need for such leave as soon as practicable.  

An employee who is called for jury duty on a regularly scheduled work day must advise their immediate supervisor/ department head within one week of receiving notice from the Court.  The employee will be released from work in order to serve on jury duty; however, if they are released from jury duty in any given day with sufficient time to report to work and perform at least two (2) hours of their remaining scheduled hours, they must do so.

An employee will not be required to work past midnight prior to reporting for jury duty on any given day, nor will they be required to work on their last day of juror service if released by the Court after 4:00 p.m.

An employee who has performed juror service will be compensated in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 234A, Section 48, and any regulations issued in accordance with Section 47, provided they present to the Town a certificate issued by the Court verifying the date(s) served.

The Massachusetts Act Relative to Domestic Violence provides up to 15 days of leave per year for victims of domestic violence or their family members.  This leave may only be used for certain purposes—please refer to M.G.L., Chapter 149, Section 52E for more details.