Sick Leave Bank The Sick Leave Bank offers an opportunity for additional coverage. Enrollment in the bank is optional and the deposited days are donated by its members. Frisco Independent School District
Table of Contents Guidelines Purpose and Definition Membership Eligibility Procedure Regulations on Contributions Regulations on Granting of Days Procedure for Applying for Days Governing Committee
Frisco Independent School District Guidelines for Sick Leave Bank (In Accordance with DEC-LOCAL) Section I PURPOSE AND DEFINITION Purpose The purpose of the Sick Leave Bank is to provide additional sick leave days to members of the bank in the event of a serious extended illness, surgery, or a temporary disability due to an injury. Additional days may be requested from the bank only after the member has exhausted all accumulated state and local sick leave days. Definition of Sick Leave Days for Members Sick leave days from the bank are workdays granted to an employee member who because of a serious extended illness, surgery, or a temporary disability due to an injury, is unable to perform the duties of his/her position. When the word day appears in the following guidelines, the term workday is implied. Section II MEMBERSHIP Eligibility All district employees who work a minimum of twenty hours (20) per week and are in an allocated budgetary position (FTE) are eligible for membership. Procedure for Joining the Sick Leave Bank 1. Any employee eligible to join the Sick Leave Bank may do so by contributing three (3) days of accrued local sick leave. An employee desiring to join during the current school year must be able to earn at least 3 days from the time of his/her employment until the completion of the total days worked at the end of the school year. 2. The enrollment period shall be prior to October 1 st. The effective date of coverage for a new employee is October 1 st. After October 1, 2002, returning employees are covered on their official workday of the new school year. 3. All new personnel employed during the designated school year, or those employed less than two years, must be able to earn at least three (3) days of local sick leave to be eligible for membership. New employees must apply
within thirty (30) days of beginning employment. New personnel not eligible to join the bank must wait for membership during the next enrollment period. 4. Employees desiring to join the bank shall complete the membership form and submit it to the chairperson of the Sick Leave Bank. Section III REGULATIONS CONCERNING CONTRIBUTION OF DAYS 1. To become a member of the Sick Leave Bank, an employee must contribute three (3) days from his/her local sick leave. 2. These accrued local days will be subtracted from the member s local sick leave balance. 3. The three (3) days donated become the property of the Frisco ISD Sick Leave Bank. Any and all donations will remain in force and cannot be returned even upon cancellation of membership. Those members who do not use days from the bank are not required to donate three (3) days from their accrued local sick leave each year to be a continuing member. 4. For bank accounting purposes the school year will be the payroll reporting for October through September paychecks. If a member uses three or more days form the bank during the school year, he/she will be required to donate an additional three days the following school year in order to have a continuing membership in the bank. If the member uses less than three days, he/she will donate the actual days used. Any member choosing not to donate or repay the bank days the following year will forfeit membership permanently. 5. If the number of bank days falls below two times (2x) the number of participating members as of September 30 of the next school year, SLB members must contribute one extra day at that time. If it falls below one time (1x) the number of members, then each SLB member must contribute two days. 6. If a member decides to cancel his/her membership in the bank, the three days contributed for membership remain the property of the bank. If at a later date this individual wishes to rejoin the bank, he or she may do so only during the next enrollment period by re-donating three days. 7. If a member of the bank is reassigned to a position in the district that does not meet the minimum requirements for membership, that same employee would have the days not used refunded. This provision would apply only to the days that were contributed.
Section IV REGULATIONS CONCERNING GRANTING OF SICK LEAVE DAYS FROM THE BANK Granting of Days from the Sick Leave Bank 1. Any conditions known to exist on or prior to the date of joining the Sick Leave Bank will not be covered under provisions of the Sick Leave Bank. 2. Sick leave days from the bank are available only in the event of a serious extended illness, surgery, or a temporary disability due to an injury and cannot be used for an injury, surgery, or other temporary disability which was known to the member on the date that he/she first became a member of the Sick Leave Bank. The Sick Leave Bank will not cover routine parental leave following the birth of a child. However, extended absences caused by serious medical complications arising from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions may be considered by the Sick Leave Bank Committee on an individual basis. 3. A member may apply for days from the Sick Leave Bank only after being absent from work the number of days requested (days will not be given in advance). All state and local days must be exhausted prior to receiving days from the bank. 4. Days from the bank shall be granted only for reasons previously stated which necessitates an absence from work three consecutive days or longer. 5. Sick Leave Bank days shall be granted only for absences from the member s scheduled work days. Holidays, vacation days, or other such days are not eligible for pay. 6. The maximum of Sick Leave Bank days that may be granted to an employee during the school year will be thirty (30) days. The maximum number of days awarded for life per member is 75 days. 7. If a member who has received fewer than 30 days from the Sick Leave Bank returns to work then becomes ill again with the same or different illness he/she may apply to the Sick Leave Bank for additional days, the total not to exceed thirty (30) days per school year. Each separate illness applied for must meet the initial criteria of just cause.
8. A member will only be reimbursed for the amount actually docked less payroll deductions. Reimbursement will be made only in the member s regular payroll check and after the Sick Leave Bank Committee approves of the requested days. 9. The SLB days may be used only by the individual member for personal use and not in order to assist a family member who is ill. 10. Sick leave days from the bank may not be granted for a period of disability when monies are paid to the member under the Worker s Compensation Act. 11. All unused sick leave days in the bank at the end of the school year shall be carried over to the next school year. 12. A contributor will lose the right to utilize the benefits of the bank only by: a. Termination or suspension of employment in the Frisco Independent School District. b. Cancellation of participation by the member on the proper form at any time. Section V PROCEDURE FOR APPLYING FOR SICK LEAVE DAYS 1. Should the member have a serious extended illness, surgery, or a temporary disability due to an injury necessitating the need for additional days after all accumulated state and local leave days have been used, the member may submit a request for days from the bank. 2. A member who requests days from the bank must submit to the chairperson of the Sick Leave Bank forms containing the following information: a. A statement signed by the member attesting to the fact that the condition which necessitated the request for days from the bank was unknown to the employee at the time he/she became a member of the bank. b. Completion of the attending physician s statement including:. Identification of the nature of the illness and/or extent of injury.. Date of initial onset of this particular condition.. Anticipated date eligible to return to work on a full-time basis.. Anticipated days, if any, for follow up examinations or treatments. c. Dates of absences from work for the illness or injury. A copy of the Absence Report should be included, if possible. 3. Application forms and required information must be submitted to the chairperson of the SLB no less than 48 hours prior to scheduled meetings. 4. Forms for the above purposes have been prepared and are available from the
benefits office. 5. The SLB Committee may refuse to consider an application that does not contain the required information. 6. If a member is critically ill and unable to file an application for sick leave days from the bank, the principal, or supervisory person may initiate the application form at the request of the member or someone in his/her family. Section VI GOVERNING COMMITTEE Name The governing committee, which will approve or disapprove all requests shall be called the Frisco ISD Sick Leave Bank Committee. Composition of Membership of Sick Leave Bank Committee Voting members of the Sick Leave Bank Committee will be comprised of three (3) FISD employees of which one will be a representative from the nursing staff, one from the benefits office, and the auxiliary person who will serve as chairperson. Duties and Responsibilities of the Sick Leave Bank Committee 1. A simple majority of voting members of the Sick Leave Bank Committee shall constitute a quorum. 2. All applications for Sick Leave Bank days shall be reviewed individually by the SLBC in a called meeting. 3. A participating member may be requested to appear before the SLBC to substantiate his/her case. 4. The SLBC shall determine the number of days approved up to thirty (30) days and reserves the right to approve, disapprove, or modify the days requested. 5. A member may appeal the decision of the SLBC in writing to the chairperson requesting to appear in person before the SLBC. 6. Any decision of the Sick Leave Bank Committee will be final. 7. The Chairperson of the SLBC shall process all approved sick leave days. These records will be maintained in the benefits office.