Purpose
The district requires the consistent attendance of knowledgeable staff members in order to meet student needs and improve student achievement. For this reason, the district does not take absences lightly and expects staff members to miss work only when absolutely necessary. The district recognizes that there are instances when employees are unable to work due to a serious health condition and has provided a sick leave pool as one method of assisting employees in these situations.
This policy is not intended to replace the benefits of short- and long-term disability insurance. The Board directs the superintendent or designee to regularly provide employees a list of providers selling short- and long-term disability insurance coverage.
The Board directs the superintendent or designee to annually report to the Board the number of sick leave pool days used and the impact of this benefit on employee absenteeism, the educational environment and district finances.
Membership
The sick leave pool is voluntary and employees may elect not to join. Only eligible staff members who contribute to the sick leave pool may draw from the pool. The sick leave pool is only open to staff members employed in positions requiring a teaching certificate. Eligible staff members will have only one opportunity to join the sick leave pool. Eligible staff members must elect to join by September 30 of the first year of employment in the certificated position. Eligible employees may join by submitting the proper form to the secretary to the superintendent. Any eligible staff member who begins employment a5er September 30 may choose to join the pool within 30 days of employment.
If the sick leave pool drops below 180 days, the sick leave pool committee may request that contributing members vote to donate one or more additional days to the sick leave bank. Each eligible staff member who joins must contribute two (2) days of his or her annual sick leave during the first year of membership in the pool and for each year thereafter until the sick leave pool committee determines a sufficient number of days have been accumulated for operation.
At the beginning of each school year, sick leave pool members wishing to cease membership in the pool must notify the superintendent or designee in writing by September 30. Sick leave pool members who choose to leave the pool but remain employed by the district are not eligible to rejoin the pool.
Termination of service in the district terminates membership in the sick leave pool without reimbursement of days contributed. Sick leave pool members who leave the district’s employment and later return may re-enter the pool at a level equal to that of members beginning their second year in the pool.
Eligibility and Use of Leave
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) certification and notification requirements apply to FMLA qualifying conditions.
To be eligible, a member must have used all applicable paid leave, been off work for three (3) consecutive school days without pay and submitted a written request for withdrawal of days from the pool accompanied by the appropriate medical certification. The written request to withdraw days must be submitted to the district payroll clerk. The request must specify how many days the member wants to withdraw and be accompanied by a physician’s statement that the member or immediate family member (as defined later in this sec-on) has a serious health condition as defined by the FMLA. The physician must also verify the need for the number of days requested.
For the purpose of this policy, “immediate family” is defined as: the spouse, dependent and nondependent children, and parents of the employee or the employee’s spouse and individuals who are under the legal guardianship of the employee. Immediate family also includes stepchildren, providing no court order prohibits custody.
Members who have met all the eligibility requirements may draw the following number of days from the pool each school year:
Members may draw from the pool any number of times during the school year. Members are only required to be off work for three consecutive school days without pay once during each school year, regardless of the number of times they apply to draw. Nothing in this writing alters the maximum number of days that can be withdrawn in any one school year.
A separate written request and physician’s statement must be submitted each -me days are requested regardless of whether the member has previously drawn from the pool during that school year.
No employee may draw more than 90 days in the aggregate over the en-re course of their employment with the district.
Sick Leave Pool Committee
The sick leave pool committee shall consist of ten (10) participating pool members: three (3) each from the elementary, middle school and high school buildings; and the superintendent or his or her designated representative. The committee members will be elected for their respective building by contributing members of the pool annually at the first faculty meeting of the school year. Following elections, the president of the GCTA shall notify the superintendent of the names of the teachers on the committee.
In establishing the committee, three members will be elected for a three-year term, three for a two-year term and three for one-year terms. Each subsequent year, the new member will be elected for a three-year term. If a vacancy occurs on the committee, the affected building's membership will elect a new committee member to fill the unexpired term.
The sick leave pool committee shall:
The committee will have no access to confidential medical information or knowledge of individual requests to use days from the pool.
If for any reason the sick leave pool is disbanded, the committee will recommend to the School Board what will happen to the days left in the sick leave pool.
Meetings of the sick leave pool committee will be conducted in accordance with the Missouri Sunshine Law.