LCBOE SICK LEAVE BANK PROCEDURES SICK LEAVE BANK A Sick Leave Bank shall be sanctioned by the Liberty County Board of Education. Sick Leave Bank days shall be established from employees voluntary contribution of accumulated sick leave. An employee may withdraw only within the guidelines established by the Sick Leave Bank governing committee. PURPOSE The purpose of the Sick Leave Bank is to provide sick leave to contributors after their own accumulated sick leave has been exhausted. ADMINISTRATION OF THE SICK LEAVE BANK 1. The Sick Leave Bank shall be administered by a Sick Leave Bank Committee (SLBC) consisting of seven (7) employees on a staggered term rotation: a school-based administrator, a member of the central office staff, three teachers, and two representatives from the non-certified ranks. The committee shall be appointed by the Superintendent with the advice and approval of the Liberty County Board of Education. Reappointment and vacancies will be handled in the same manner. 2. The committee shall have the responsibility of receiving, verifying, and approving or denying requests for Sick Leave Bank withdrawals. The committee shall elect a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and a secretary. a. The committee shall render a decision on an application within ten (10) working days of its receipt. b. The decision must reflect a majority vote of the entire committee. c. A group of five (5) committee members shall be present to conduct the official business of the Sick Leave Bank committee. d. The committee members shall use the following criteria in administering the bank and in rendering their decision: Medical evidence of serious illness Must have used all vacation days Must have used all accumulated sick leave History of use of sick leave Page 1 of 5
Recommendation from the employee s supervisor e. The committee chairperson shall prepare an annual report to be presented to the Superintendent of Schools and the Board of Education in its July meeting. f. The Board of Education in no way obligates itself or assumes responsibility should the Sick Leave Bank find itself inadequate to respond to the needs of its membership. 3. All records of the Sick Leave Bank shall be maintained by the LCBOE Payroll Department. The committee shall inform the Payroll Department of all applications it approves and the amount of additional leave granted the employee. MEMBERSHIP Any person entitled to sick leave in the Liberty County School System may become a member by donating one (1) day of his/her accumulated sick leave during an annual open enrollment period between October 1 and October 31. Membership requests will only be accepted during the annual enrollment period. New employees will be eligible for participation in the second year of employment. The second year of employment is defined as the beginning of the second full contract signed by the certified employee and twelve calendar months plus one day for the classified employee. The donation of one sick day to establish membership must be deposited in writing on the Sick Leave Bank donation form. As needed, members may be reassessed for a day each year to sustain the Sick Leave Bank balance (not to exceed two days per year). Donations of sick leave to the Sick Leave Bank are not refundable and not transferable. Membership to the Sick Leave Bank is provided annually by written notice by the employee on the Open Enrollment form within the enrollment period of a subsequent year. PROCEDURES FOR APPLICATION FOR SICK LEAVE BANK WITHDRAWALS 1. A member of the Sick Leave Bank shall be eligible to make application to the Bank provided that: a. He/she has been absent due to illness including, but not limited to, injury, surgery or temporary disability (including medical complications due to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition) at least fifteen (15) consecutive school days immediately prior to the day the Sick Leave Bank days begin. b. He/she has exhausted his/her own accumulated leave. Page 2 of 5
2. In the event that a member is physically or mentally unable to make a request to the Sick Leave Bank, a family member or agent may file the request on the member s behalf. 3. All requests to withdraw days from the Sick Leave Bank shall be filed with the committee on the Sick Leave Bank withdrawal form. 4. The Sick Leave Bank withdrawal form shall be accompanied by a physician s statement verifying illness and attesting to the individual s incapacity to perform assigned duties. 5. An applicant MAY be required to undergo (at his/her own expense) a medical review by a physician approved by the committee. 6. Sick leave bank days must be used for personal illness and/or temporary disability only. 7. Leave grants from the Bank shall be in units up to 60 consecutive work days. 8. The maximum number of days any member may receive in any school year (July 1 to June 30) is 60. 9. All leave granted, but not used by the member, must be returned to the Sick Leave Bank. 10. Sick leave granted to a member by the committee does not have to be repaid except as all members are uniformly reassessed and as stipulated in item #9 above. 11. Any worker s compensation or disability insurance payments will be deducted from the base salary of any employee to whom Sick Leave Bank benefits are granted (no profit can be made from illness or disability). 12. Substance abuse will be considered as an illness provided ongoing intensive treatment is occurring. 13. Each member shall sign an authorization form stating that he/she is aware of the provisions of the Sick Leave Bank and also that he/she relieves the committee and the Liberty County School System from any liability as result of action taken by the committee. APPEALS TO BOARD OF EDUCATION A member of the Sick Leave Bank dissatisfied with a decision of the Sick Leave Bank Committee denying a request for Sick Leave Bank withdrawal cannot appeal the decision to the Board of Education. Page 3 of 5
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. Can the Sick Leave Bank be used for the illness of a family member? NO. Sick leave bank days must be used for PERSONAL ILLNESS and/or temporary disability ONLY. 2. What is a catastrophic illness? EXAMPLES: Stroke or any major cerebrovascular rupture or aneurysm, cancer, organ transplant, AIDS, heart surgery, major trauma (accident where major bones are broken back, hip, etc.), brain or head trauma, or major surgery. 3. Who is eligible to use the Sick Bank? Any person entitled to sick leave in the Liberty County School System may become a member by donating one day of his/her accumulated sick leave during the annual Open Enrollment period between October 1 and October 31. New employees are eligible for participation in the second year of employment. A new employee is defined as ANYONE new to the Liberty County School System. New employees will be eligible for participation in the second year of employment. The second year of employment is defined as the beginning of the second full contract signed by the certified employee; for a classified employee, the second year of employment is defined as twelve calendar months plus one day. 4. What is the MAXIMUM number of days to be withdrawn from each employee in order to keep the Sick Leave Bank from being depleted? The donation of one sick day to establish membership must be deposited in writing on the Sick Leave Bank Donation Form. Members can be assessed annually one day from their individual sick leave (but not to exceed 2 days per year) to sustain the Sick Leave Bank balance. 5. What becomes of the stockpile of days in the Sick Leave Bank at the end of a school year? Days are carried over from one year to the next. If the Sick Leave Bank has accumulated a great number of days, it will be the committee s decision as to whether or not to withdraw more days at the given time. 6. Are days transferable or refundable? NO. Donations of sick leave to the Sick Leave Bank are not refundable and not transferable. 7. Can family members request withdrawal from the Sick Leave Bank on behalf of the employee? In the event that a member is physically or mentally unable to make a request to the Sick Leave Bank Committee, a family member or agent may file the request on the member s behalf. Page 4 of 5
8. If an employee has exhausted his/her accumulated sick days at the time of Open Enrollment for the Sick Leave Bank, can he/she still become a member of the Sick Leave Bank? No, an employee must have a day of leave available to donate as of the day following the last day of the Open Enrollment period. 9. How much of an employee s salary will be paid when using the Sick Leave Bank? 100% of the employee s salary (less any disability benefit) will be paid for the days granted through the Sick Leave Bank. 10. Who do I contact if I need additional information about the Sick Leave Bank procedures, forms, etc.? Karen French at 912-876-4975 or by email at kfrench@liberty.k12.ga.us. Page 5 of 5