Sick Leave Bank

Code  GCCAAA*  Issued  08/04

 

Introduction

 

A sick leave bank has been established by Anderson School District Five for active duty employees who earn sick leave.  The purpose of the individual district sick leave bank is to provide leave for eligible employees when attendance is inadvisable and/or impossible due to the catastrophic illness of the employee or his/her immediate family, and when required absences exceed their accrued leave, but do not activate long-term disability insurance provisions.

 

The bank will be administered by a sick leave bank board that will be comprised of the following: four teachers, elected by teachers; two classified employees, elected by classified personnel; and one principal/administrator, elected by principals/administrators.  The assistant superintendent for personnel services will serve on this board as an ex officio member. Terms for elective members shall be two years effective after the initial election of the sick leave bank board. The board year will be from July 1 through June 30 of each year.  All representatives to the sick leave bank board must be members of the sick leave bank.

 

In the initial formation of the sick leave bank board, the sick leave bank steering committee will be responsible for recommending at least three candidates for each board member position.  The candidate recommendations will be made after the first open enrollment to determine who the sick leave bank members will be. All sick leave bank members will have the opportunity to elect their respective representatives by ballot prepared by the office of personnel.  Any vacancies on the board will be handled by the next highest candidate from the last held election. The sick leave bank board will assume all other responsibilities of nomination and the election after the initial board is seated.

 

The sick leave bank board will elect a chairman annually and any other offices deemed appropriate in implementing the sick leave bank board.  A quorum of the sick leave bank board will consist of four members.

 

The sick leave bank board will receive requests for use of days from the sick leave bank and will decide on these requests and upon appeals arising from their decisions according to the regulations contained in this document.  All information concerning a request will be considered confidential. The board may make suggestions for improving the operation of the bank. However, any changes to the administrative rule and guidelines must be approved by the Anderson School District Five Board of Trustees.  The sick leave bank board will issue an annual report to the membership and to the Anderson School District Five Board of Trustees.

Definitions

 

This plan will provide extended sick leave to a member-employee for prolonged illness, injury, quarantine or incapacitation so severe to oneself or an immediate family member that attendance of the employee is inadvisable and/or impossible.

Prolonged illness is defined as an illness that necessitates an absence of 20 consecutive workdays.

 

An immediate family member has been defined by the district in previous policy as father, mother, sister, brother, spouse, child, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

 

Intermittent catastrophic illness is defined as a catastrophic illness that may be an "on-going" illness to the employee or his/her immediate family member that would require the member to use sick leave at intermittent times due to the type of illness or accident.  The employee/member may be able to return to work for a period of time with illness and again take sick leave due to special therapy or treatment. In an intermittent catastrophic illness, the sick leave bank procedures are not dependent upon the employee/member being out to work for at least 20 consecutive workdays.  However, an accumulation of 20 absences would be required before approaching the sick leave bank.

 

Eligibility

 

All employees who are full-time active duty with Anderson School District Five and who earn sick leave are eligible to participate.  Participation is voluntary; however, the bank will not operate with less than 25% participation of the total number of employees within the district.

 

To become a member, an employee must complete a membership application and contribute one day sick leave during the open enrollment period.  Additional contributions annually, or as needed, will be automatically transferred to the bank according to the procedures established in GCCAAA-R*.  If a member has utilized all their sick leave prior to the next assessment, the next available day will be deducted. Notification to the members will be made by the sick leave bank board when days are automatically transferred.

 

Adopted 10/19/93; Revised 8/17/04



SICK LEAVE BANK

 

Code  GCCAAA-R*  Issued  08/04



Procedures and regulations for membership

 

An open enrollment period will occur between July 1 and September 30 of each school year.  A special assessment will be held at any time the total number of days in the bank reaches a level equal to or less than 25% of the number of members.  An additional contribution of one day will be required by current members, and an open enrollment period declared for new members. At any time that the sick leave bank board should deem that the number of the days in the bank at the beginning of the fiscal year is sufficient, an open enrollment will be held only for eligible new members.

 

Employees who initially choose not to participate in the bank may enroll at a subsequent open enrollment period.  However, the employee must contribute a number of days equal to those he/she would have contributed had he/she been a member since the initial enrollment opportunity at hiring or at the initial open enrollment period up to a maximum of four days.

 

Sick leave bank members must contribute one day of sick leave at the initial enrollment period and one additional day each year at the open enrollment period.  If a member has utilized all their sick leave prior to the next assessment, the next available day will be deducted. All employees who are on full-time active duty with the district, earn sick leave, and have accrued six sick leave days are eligible to participate in the sick leave bank.  Exceptions to contributions are as follows.

 

  • In any year that the number of sick leave days in the bank is twice the number of members, no days will be contributed for that year except by first-time members of the bank.
  • Any time the total number of days in the bank reaches a level equal to or less than 25% of the number of members, an additional contribution of one day will be required and an open enrollment period declared.

 

All contributions of the bank remain in force for the fiscal year in which they are contributed.  However, a member may cancel his/her membership during the open enrollment period by written notification to the sick leave bank board.

 

Regulations for uses of the bank

 

In order to make application to receive days from the sick leave bank, an employee must meet the following criteria.

  • The employee must be a current member of the bank.
  • The employee must have been out of work for at least 20 consecutive workdays as a result of illness or accident to himself or an immediate family member.
  • The employee has exhausted all accumulated sick days, vacation days, and/or compensation days.

 

An employee (or family member of an incapacitated employee) who meets eligibility criteria as described in this document may apply to draw upon the sick leave bank by completing an Application for Use of Sick Leave Bank Form.  This application must be accompanied by a Physician's Confirmation Form confirming the nature and expected duration of the disabling condition. Employees requesting additional days must reapply in a timely manner. An additional form from the physician must be completed after each 20 workdays drawn from the bank.

 

Application should be submitted to the assistant superintendent for personnel who will schedule meetings of the sick leave bank board.

 

All members applying for additional days from the Sick Leave Bank will be notified in writing of the decision of the Sick Leave Bank Board according to the following procedures.

 

  • All approved applications will be forwarded to office of personnel for processing.
  • All rejected applications will be returned to the member.  Members may appeal a rejected decision only once by reapplying and submitting additional documentation and an opinion of the second physician on the Physician's Confirmation Form.
  • All appeals will be responded to in writing
  • Decisions will be made by a majority vote of the sick leave bank board and the decision will be final.

 

The maximum number of days that may be drawn from the bank for any catastrophic event is 40 days.

 

Members who have been approved for worker's compensation due to a job related injury will not be eligible to apply for sick leave bank days.

 

Additional sick leave days cannot be granted for illness or hospitalization due to normal pregnancy beyond the employee's annual and accumulated sick leave except in extreme complications of pregnancy.

 

Forms to be used by the employees for membership application, application for additional sick leave days from the bank and physician's conformation are available from office of personnel.

 

No appeals or grievances regarding the sick leave bank will be entertained by the district administration or the Anderson School District Five Board of Trustees.  Final decisions are made by the sick leave bank board.

 

Issued 10/19/93; Revised 8/17/04