Descriptor Code: GBRJ
Arrangement for Substitutes
The Cherokee County Board of Education recognizes that in order to achieve maximum results and productivity, employees are expected to report to work and be on time each day unless scheduled absent. Regular employee attendance is essential to the efficient operation of the School District and is a necessary component to ensure the School District meets objectives.
In the event that a teacher or paraprofessional must be absent, the individual must utilize the School District automated substitute calling system as required to record the absence and secure the services of a substitute teacher. Each Principal shall inform the faculty at the beginning of the school year regarding absence reporting requirements.
Teachers must have lesson plans prepared that enable substitute teachers to more effectively perform their duties. Lesson plans will be left with the Principal or designee.
The Superintendent will establish procedures as necessary for employee time and attendance requirements and for additional arrangements for substitutes.
REVISED: July 21, 2016
Pursuant to the School Board’s Arrangement for Substitutes Policy (GBRJ), these administrative guidelines are to be utilized by CCSD staff in policy application:
Cherokee County School District recognizes that, to receive maximum results and productivity, employees are expected to report to work and be on time each day unless scheduled absent. Regular employee attendance is essential to the efficient operation of the School District and is a necessary component to ensure the District meets objectives.
Employee Time and Attendance Requirements are established to provide attendance standards for employees and to outline the appropriate procedures to follow for scheduled and unscheduled absences. If circumstances necessitate that an employee be absent from work, reporting and documentation procedures must be followed.
A. Scheduled absence- a planned absence, approved in advance by the employee’s supervisor. This includes but is not limited to the following: vacation leave; sick leave and personal leave; military and military family leave; parental leave; jury duty.
B. Unscheduled absence- an unplanned absence; the employee has not given advance notice. This may include but is not limited to sick leave, personal leave and/or leaving the workplace before the end of the scheduled work day.
C. Scheduled Tardy- arrival at work after the official start-time for the employee’s work day, and where the employee has given at least 24-hour notice to the supervisor.
D. Unscheduled Tardy- arrival at work after the official start-time for the employee’s work day; and where the employee has not given notice to the supervisor.
Work calendars are established for employees based on their assigned position with the School District. An employee is required to report to work or follow absence reporting and documentation procedures as determined by the employee’s immediate supervisor for each designated work day.
Critical work days are work days for which employee absences pose a serious hardship on Department and/or District operations and for which any absence will require advance approval by the principal/work location supervisor. Employees are expected to be on duty during critical periods of departmental and district operations as determined annually by the appropriate Principal/work location supervisor.
Work day schedules are established for employees based on their assigned position with the School District and the operational needs of the school/department.
The FLSA requires that overtime be paid to covered employees at the rate of 1.5 times the regular hourly rate of pay for the number of hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week, except in cases whereby an employee works more than one job and each job has a different standard rate of pay. For employees working two of more different types of work for which different straight-time rates have been established, the overtime rate for that week is the weighted average of such rates. Employees in the following job classifications are typically covered under the FLSA: paraprofessionals, school nurses, warehouse workers, technology specialists, bookkeepers, school nutrition workers, maintenance workers, clerks, secretaries, bus drivers and attendants, vehicle mechanics, and police officers. Certified employees, supervisors and managers are generally not covered by the provisions of the FLSA. An employee may refer to the job description for their position to determine coverage or exemption status under the FLSA.
CCSD’s seven-day work week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday. Payroll periods begin on the 16th of the month and end on the 15th of the subsequent month. Employees are expected to arrive and depart at the time specified by the District, unless requested to work overtime by their immediate supervisor. Covered employees will accurately record hours worked during each week, including the exact time of arrival and departure from work and all overtime, by time sheet or timecard. The maximum regularly scheduled workload for employees is 40 hours during each seven-day period. Unless otherwise approved or in an emergency, covered employees will not work more than 40 hours during any work week. Employees working two or more jobs for the District will calculate and report to their supervisor their total hourly work week by adding together the total number of hours worked for all jobs. Covered employees will inform their supervisor immediately if they believe they will work more than 40 hours in any work week. Supervisors and Principals will review, approve and maintain all timecards within the timekeeper system. Documentation of all overtime hours worked must be submitted to the Chief Financial Officer prior to the end of each pay period.
An employee will not work overtime without prior permission from his/her immediate supervisor, except in cases of emergency. Employees covered by FLSA who work overtime without prior approval will be allowed to claim the hours worked in accordance with the FLSA. If the supervisor determines that the work was unforeseen or emergency in nature, it will be approved. If the supervisor determines the performance of the work was unnecessary at the time it was performed, the employee will receive pay for the hours worked, but disciplinary action may be taken for failure to follow established policy.
Each 40-hour weekly employee is provided two 15-minute daily breaks during work time. Each such employee is also provided a non-paid, duty-free 30-minute daily lunch.
Each employee is expected to be in the workplace and ready to work at the start of his/her scheduled work day.
Written request for a scheduled absence must be made in advance to the employee’s supervisor for approval in accordance with the following requirements:
· A request for sick leave must be submitted for approval at least five work days prior to the date of the request or as soon as practicable when the need to take sick leave is not foreseeable (“as soon as practicable” generally means at least verbal notice to the employer within one or two business days of learning of the need to take sick leave).
· A request for personal leave must be submitted for approval at least five work days prior to the date of the request.
· A request for vacation leave must be submitted for approval at least five work days prior to the date of the request.
Requests for sick, personal or vacation leave that are not submitted within the required timeframe may be denied; however, in emergency situations shorter notice may be accepted with the supervisor’s approval.
Leave of absences expected to extend ten days or more (intermittent or consecutive) must be approved through the Benefits Department. Applicable advance notice requirements and leaves and absences procedures will apply.
An employee who is reporting an unscheduled absence/tardy/early departure must contact his/her immediate supervisor or designee prior to the start of the scheduled work day or as soon as the employee is physically capable to advise that he/she will be absent/tardy/leave early. If a position requires a substitute, the absent employee is to follow the school/departmental guidelines for obtaining a substitute. An employee must notify his/her supervisor on each day of absence/tardy/early departure unless other arrangements have been established by the employee’s supervisor. If the supervisor/designee is not immediately available, an employee may leave a message for the supervisor with a phone number where they can be reached.
Sick leave is to be used only in accordance with the School Board Policy Professional Personnel Leaves and Absences Descriptor Code: GBRI and School District Guidelines for Sick Leave and Medical and Related Reasons.
Absences Caused by Personal Reasons
Three days of any accumulated sick leave may be utilized during each work year for personal reasons provided prior approval of the absence is given by the employee’s supervisor. Even if pre-approved, absences for personal reasons will be unpaid if an employee has exhausted the three personal leave days allotted for a work year.
Vacation Leave
Vacation requests for school-based personnel will not normally be approved when school is in session.
Absences from work due to work-related injuries/illnesses
An employee will not be recorded absent on the day of the injury or on the day a work-related illness is first reported, if the employee’s absence from work is required in order to leave work to seek authorized medical evaluation/treatment. For subsequent absences due to a work-related injury or illness, the employee has the option to substitute accumulated sick and/or vacation leave in lieu of unpaid leave or in lieu of receiving workers’ compensation (WC) benefits. Note: WC will not pay for the first seven (7) days unless an employee is disabled for (21) days, and WC will only pay two thirds of an employee’s average weekly wage up to a maximum benefit.
Absences and corresponding make-up requirements related to inclement weather or other emergencies will be established and communicated to principals/work location supervisors by the Superintendent of Schools.
· When CCSD is closed due to inclement weather or other factors, the Superintendent/designee has authority to declare a workday for different categories of personnel (e.g., 12-month employees may be required to work).
· When the Superintendent/designee declares that school district employees will not report to work, some personnel may be requested to work in order to maintain the safe and efficient operation of facilities. Such employees requested by the appropriate member of the Superintendent’s Cabinet to work under those circumstances will receive regular compensation for each hour worked. This does not apply to individuals employed in organizational chart positions who may be requested to work without additional pay and are not entitled to overtime compensation.
· If any employee is unable to report to work on a scheduled workday due to weather related conditions, the employee, with the immediate supervisor’s approval, must account for the day with any one of the following options:
‒ A personal day may be utilized;
‒ A vacation day (12 months employees only) may be taken;
‒ A day without pay may be requested; or,
‒ The day may be made up at a designated work site with the immediate supervisor’s prior authorization and supervision.
· Each principal/supervisor is responsible for ensuring that all employees under their supervision account for all workdays.
Leave will be processed from an employee’s available accumulated leave: first from the Primary Leave Bank and then from the First Cascade and Second Cascade as applicable. If all applicable accumulated leave is exhausted, leave without pay (LWOP) will be processed.
|
Leave/Pay Code Request |
Primary Leave Bank |
First Cascade |
Second Cascade |
|
Parental Leave – Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Foster Care – minimum employment requirements apply |
Parental Leave - Maximum 120 work hours for qualifying employees and qualifying events) |
Sick |
LWOP |
|
Sick Leave |
Sick |
Vacation |
LWOP |
|
Bereavement Leave |
Sick |
Vacation |
LWOP |
|
Jury Duty |
Paid Time – no deduction from Leave |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Other Authorized Leave |
Paid Time – no deduction from Leave |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Personal Leave |
Personal (Sick)* |
LWOP |
N/A |
|
Professional Development |
Paid Time – no deduction from Leave |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Religious Holiday Leave |
Personal (Sick)* |
LWOP |
N/A |
|
Vacation Leave |
Vacation |
LWOP |
N/A |
|
Workers’ Compensation |
Sick |
Vacation |
LWOP |
|
Work-Related Subpoena |
Paid Time – no deduction from Leave |
N/A |
N/A |
* Three days of any accumulated sick leave may be utilized during each work year for personal reasons provided prior approval of the
absence is given by the employee’s supervisor. Even if pre-approved, absences for personal reasons will be unpaid if an employee has
exhausted the three personal leave days allotted for a work year.
1) For any absence for which sick leave is requested, a supervisor has the right to require a physician’s statement indicating that the employee or immediate family member is ill and that the employee is unable to perform his or her duties.
2) In the event that an employee has excessive absences for medical reasons, the employee may be required to provide an excuse from his/her health care provider. The employee may be required to provide an excuse if one or more of the following conditions exist:
a. A persistent, systematic pattern of absences has been established (example – out every Monday).
b. Seven or more days of absences have been accumulated during the previous six months.
c. Twelve or more days of absences were recorded during the prior work year.
d. Any one absence from work exceeds five work days.
e. Any other reason as determined by the supervisor when conditions warrant.
3) Medical documentation for absences must be provided by the employee to the supervisor as required in writing on the day the employee returns to work, and must contain the employee’s name, date(s) of the absence, reason for the absence, and must be signed and dated by the health care provider on business letterhead. Medical documentation will be evaluated by the supervisor to determine if the absence is approved or unapproved.
4) The School District at its own expense may require an employee to obtain a second certification from a health care provider confirming the medical necessity of the absence.
5) The School District may require an employee to provide updated and ongoing medical documentation for absences.
6) An employee who is absent 10 or more consecutive days due to medical reasons is required to provide documentation form his/her health care provider to verify the employee’s work status.
7) In the event of a concern that an employee’s personal illness or attendance at work may endanger the employee’s health or the health of others, the employee may be required to present appropriate medical documentation for the purpose of verifying that the employee is fit for duty.
8) Cherokee County School District may designate, at its own expense, a physician to attest that the employee is emotionally and physically capable of resuming the responsibilities and duties of his/her position.
9) Verification of work status and/or fitness for duty documentation must be provided to the employee’s immediate supervisor with a copy to the School District’s Benefits Department prior to the employee’s return to work date. The statement from the provider must indicate if the employee is released to return to work, and if so, the effective date, and any applicable work restrictions. Based on the work restrictions as noted by the physician, a determination will be made regarding return to duty.
CCSD will make every reasonable effort to accommodate an employee’s disability and/or work restrictions. With or without the accommodation, the employee must be able to perform the essential duties of the position. Documentation from the employee/appropriate health care provider detailing the specific accommodation(s) requested and describing the disabling condition, providing an estimated length of time or duration period [including beginning and ending dates] is required.
Attendance and punctuality are critical components of each employee’s performance evaluation. Failure to meet attendance and punctuality requirements and/or failure to meet performance expectations due to excessive absences/tardiness may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. Principals/work location supervisors are authorized by the Superintendent of Schools to review, monitor, and take appropriate corrective action in matters of employee attendance and punctuality.
Any one or more of the following circumstances constitute job abandonment and a voluntary resignation from employment:
1. Failure to call in to supervisor/designee for three consecutive work days;
2. Desertion of duties during the work day with no report and explanation to the employee’s supervisor;
3. Failure to return to work within three work days following a leave of absence. An employee is expected to report for duty the next scheduled work day following the ending date of an approved leave of absence.
If circumstances prevent the employee from personally reporting an absence, the employee is responsible for making other reporting arrangements.
If an employee or the employee’s immediate family member (spouse, child, parent) has a recurring medical condition that results in absence(s), the employee may qualify for approved paid or unpaid leave under the FMLA. Request for family medical leave and notice provisions are established in accordance with federal law. In most cases, an absence under the FMLA must be arranged for in advance and does not necessarily relieve an employee from responsibilities as set forth in these guidelines.
Employee absences approved under the FMLA will not be included as a negative evaluation factor in performance reviews. However, FMLA absences will impact an employee’s eligibility for excellent and perfect attendance recognitions/awards.
An employee must make reasonable efforts to schedule any intermittent absences to minimize disruption of the work day (e.g., for non-emergency appointments).
Employee attendance requirements will not protect an employee from disciplinary action that is based upon substandard job performance.
The confidentiality of any information received by the School District relative to a medical condition of an employee or an employee’s family member will be maintained except as otherwise provided by law.
To the extent that any provision in this Policy conflicts with or is superseded by State or Federal law, including but not limited to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family Medical Leave Act and/or the Americans with Disability Act, the applicable regulations control.
An employee is required to promptly complete and submit required time and attendance and absence reports, accurately accounting for all hours worked and absences. All employees are expected use the official time, attendance and absence reporting systems to document time, attendance and absences accordingly. Each employee is required to approve his/her timecard at the end of each payroll cycle before the end of the work day on the 15th of each month. Falsifying, misrepresenting, omitting, or erroneously reporting time and attendance records or reasons for absences will subject an employee to disciplinary action by the District up to and including termination of employment. Official notice to the appropriate licensing board(s) and/or another professional agency(ies) may also be required.
