How to File the WCPSS Leave Request Form (Form 1500) in Frontline

To submit a WCPSS leave request, log in to Frontline Absence Management at app.frontlineeducation.com, open Create Absence, select your dates and the correct reason code, attach any supporting documentation, and submit the request for your administrator’s approval. Wake County Public School System replaced paper leave forms with Frontline (formerly Aesop) for most absences, though a few sites still accept paper submissions through the school treasurer or principal’s office. If you get stuck or have a question about your balance, WCPSS Human Resources can be reached at 919-533-7200.¹

Filing the Request in Frontline

You log in with your Frontline credentials. If you don’t know your employee ID, your lead secretary, supervisor, or the WCPSS help desk can look it up.¹

Open Create Absence from your homepage, or go to Absence → Create Absence in the side menu.
Select the date or date range for your absence.
Choose the timeframe: full day, half day, or custom hours.
Pick the reason code from the dropdown. This is the leave category that tells payroll how to process the absence.
Add notes for your administrator or substitute, including classroom instructions or lesson plans.
Attach any required files. Frontline accepts PDFs and Word documents.
Click Create Absence to submit.

If a single day covers two different reasons, such as training in the morning and personal leave in the afternoon, use Frontline’s Advanced Mode to split the day across multiple reason codes.² After you submit, the system displays a confirmation. Save a screenshot or printout. Disputes over whether a request was filed happen more often than you’d expect, and the confirmation settles them.

If your school uses a paper process for a particular leave type, hand the completed form to the school treasurer or principal’s office rather than uploading it.

Picking the Right Leave Category

The reason code you choose determines how payroll treats the absence and whether approval is automatic or discretionary. WCPSS Policy 7510 governs the leave framework, and each category has its own accrual rules and pay treatment.³ Picking the wrong code can delay approval or create a payroll error.

Sick Leave

Full-time employees earn one sick day per month if they work at least half the workdays in that pay period. Part-time employees accrue on a prorated basis.⁴ Use it for your own illness, medical appointments, care for an immediate family member, or temporary disability. Unused sick leave rolls over year to year and can convert to retirement service credit if you haven’t been paid out for the days and your last day of service falls within 365 days of your retirement date.⁵

Personal Leave

Teachers accrue personal leave at 0.20 days per full month worked, up to two days per year. You can carry forward a maximum of five days on July 1; anything above five converts to sick leave on June 30. If you submit the request at least five days in advance, approval is automatic as long as a substitute is available, and you don’t have to give a reason.⁶

Blackout dates matter. Unless your principal specifically approves it, personal leave cannot be used on the first required report day of the school year, required teacher workdays, state testing days, or the day immediately before or after a holiday or scheduled vacation day. On a teacher workday, personal leave pays your full salary. On other days, the district deducts a portion of your pay to cover the substitute.⁶

Vacation Leave

Vacation leave applies to permanent employees in year-round positions, not traditional school-calendar staff. Accrual runs from 14 days per year at under five years of state service up to 26 days per year at 20 or more years. You must work at least half the workdays in a month to earn leave for that month, and part-time employees accrue on a prorated basis.⁷

Voluntary Shared Leave

If you exhaust all accrued leave and still need to be absent for a serious medical condition affecting you or an immediate family member, coworkers can donate their earned time. To qualify as a recipient, the absence must involve a prolonged medical condition requiring at least 20 consecutive workdays away from work, with medical documentation to support it. Agencies can waive the 20-day threshold for repeated absences tied to the same condition, or a different prolonged condition, in the past 12 months.⁸

Civil Leave

Civil leave with pay is available when you’re summoned for jury duty or subpoenaed as a witness.⁹

Paid Parental Leave

WCPSS offers paid parental leave for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child. You must give advance written notice to your supervisor and to the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources.³

Documentation to Attach

Most routine sick or personal days don’t need attachments. Some situations do, and incomplete submissions are the most common reason for processing delays. Upload the paperwork when you create the absence rather than sending it later.

Extended medical absence. For FMLA leave covering a serious health condition, the district can require a medical certification from your healthcare provider. The certification verifies the need for leave without disclosing a specific diagnosis. WCPSS Policy 7520 defines a serious health condition as one involving a period of incapacity of more than three consecutive calendar days combined with ongoing treatment.¹⁰¹¹
Jury duty or court appearance. Attach a copy of the summons or subpoena so your administrator can verify the dates.⁹
Voluntary shared leave. Recipients must submit medical evidence supporting the need for leave beyond their available balance.⁸
Paid parental leave. Advance written notice goes to your supervisor and the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources.³

Advance Notice Deadlines

How far ahead to file depends on the type of leave. Missing the window doesn’t automatically mean denial, but it narrows your administrator’s ability to arrange coverage and shifts the decision from automatic to discretionary.

Personal leave: at least five days before the absence. Requests filed inside that window are automatically approved if a substitute is available.⁶
Paid parental leave: 10 weeks of advance written notice when reasonably possible; otherwise as much notice as circumstances allow.³
Discretionary leave without pay: 60 days of advance written notice if possible, stating start and end dates.³
Sick leave: notify your immediate supervisor in advance for anticipated absences so duties can be reassigned. For unforeseeable illness, notify as early as possible on the day of the absence.³

The five-day personal leave rule is the one that most often catches people off guard. File fewer than five days out and the request moves to your principal’s discretion, and you may be asked for a reason.

After You Submit

The request first routes to your site-based administrator, usually your principal, who checks that coverage can be arranged without disrupting school operations. After local approval, it goes to central Human Resources for leave-balance verification and policy compliance. Watch Frontline for a status change: pending, approved, or returned for additional information. If nothing moves within a few business days, follow up with your school front office or HR at 919-533-7200.

Once you exhaust all accrued paid leave, additional absence becomes unpaid. Unpaid leave triggers a direct deduction from your monthly gross pay and can affect retirement service credit. If your balances are running low and you expect to need more time, voluntary shared leave or FMLA protections are worth exploring before the absence begins rather than after.

1
WCPSS Earnings Benefits. Earnings Benefits Frequently Asked Questions
2
Frontline Education. Employee Basic Training
3
Wake County Public School System. Policy 7510 Leave
4
Wake County Public School System. WCPSS Employee Handbook
5
My NC Retirement. LGERS Employer Handbook – Sick Leave
6
North Carolina General Assembly. North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 115C
7
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Summary of Benefits for Prospective Employees
8
Office of State Human Resources. Voluntary Shared Leave Policy
9
Office of State Human Resources. Employee Leave Options
10
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 28G – Medical Certification Under the Family and Medical Leave Act
11
Wake County Public School System. Policy 7520 Family and Medical Leave