415.01 Support Staff Vacations, Holidays and Personal Leave

SUPPORT STAFF VACATIONS, HOLIDAYS, PERSONAL AND SICK LEAVE

The superintendent of schools shall be responsible for recommendations to the board of education for its approval, and he or she shall be responsible for overseeing the administration of a district-sponsored leave and/or insurance program for the classified employees. Classified employees shall be made aware of these benefits in the employee’s contract.

PAID LEAVE--Classified employees shall be identified as fiscal year, 10-month, or school year employees of the school district. Classified employees may be either full-time employees or part-time employees. All classified employees shall be covered by workman's compensation. Fiscal year employees shall be defined as those that are employed September 1 through August 31.  Ten-month employees shall be defined as those that are employed August 1 through May 31. School year employees shall be defined as those that are employed while school is in session. A full- time employee is an employee who is regularly assigned to work 30 or more hours per week. A part-time employee is an employee who is regularly assigned to work less than 30 hours per week.

1. All fiscal year and 10-month full-time employees shall accumulate sick leave at the rate of seven days per year, accumulative to forty-five days.
2. All fiscal year and 10-month full-time employees shall receive three days personal leave each year, non-accumulative, and shall be paid for days of unplanned school closures (e.g., weather, fire) when they would otherwise be working, at an amount equal to their assigned duty hours for that day times their current hourly rate(s).
    
3. Full Time Fiscal Year

Classified Employee Non-Accumulative Annual Leave

1. All fiscal year full-time employees shall receive seven paid holidays per year (New Years, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas).
    
2. All 10-month full-time employees shall receive six paid holidays per year (New Years, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas).
    
3. All fiscal year and 10-month full-time employees are eligible to participate in the school district's paid health insurance program with the district paying 100% of Employee, Ee & Child(ren), Ee & Spouse, and Ee, Spouse & Children policies, and 100% of single dental.
4. All fiscal year and school year part-time employees who work over fifteen hours per week shall receive two days personal leave each year (non-accumulative). They will also be paid for days of unplanned school closures (e.g., weather, fire) when they would otherwise be working, at an amount equal to their assigned duty hours for that day times their current hourly rate(s). Sick leave shall accumulate at the rate of three days per year, accumulative to fifteen. Part-time employees will be paid personal leave and sick leave proportionate to their assigned hours per day.
5. Fiscal year and school year part-time employees may participate in the school district's health insurance coverage at their own expense unless grand fathered (employed before August 1992).
6. Bus drivers shall receive five paid holidays per year (Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years), two days personal leave each year (non-accumulative), and be reimbursed for unplanned school closures at their regular route rate of pay. 
7. School year full-time employees shall receive five paid holidays per year (Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years), two days personal leave each year (non- accumulative), and accumulate sick leave at the rate of three days per year, accumulative to fifteen days. They will also be paid for days of unplanned school closures (e.g., weather, fire) when they would otherwise be working, at an amount equal to their assigned duty hours for that day times their current hourly rate(s).  All school year full-time employees are eligible to participate in the school district's paid health insurance program with the district paying a single policy.

Leaves and payments provided to employees under this policy are not included in overtime computations.

Vacation may be taken any time during the school year when the vacation will not disrupt the school district operations. The employee must submit a vacation request to the superintendent, who shall be responsible for determining whether the request will disrupt the school district operation.

It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent to make a recommendation to the board annually on vacation and personal leave for support staff.

Sick Leave Guidelines.

Any employee who is unable to report to work because of a health related condition shall contact the school principal or his or her designated supervisor at the earliest opportunity.

If any employee experiences a health related absence of three days or more or demonstrates a pattern of frequent health related absences, the school administration reserves the right to require the employee to present school officials with a physician's statement for documenting either (1) the need to remain absent from work or (2) the employee's fitness to return to work. The school administration further reserves the right to require a second opinion on such medical circumstance from a physician chosen and reimbursed by the school district.

Should an employee have a prolonged health-related absence beyond provisions as set forth by school district policy or refuse to cooperate in securing physicians' statements as described above, the superintendent reserves the right to exercise or recommend to terminate the employment.

In the event an employee contracts a communicable disease, continued employment decisions will be based on guidelines established by the Nebraska Department of Health.

Evidence may be required regarding the mental or physical health of the employee including, but not limited to, confirmation of the following: the employee's illness, the need for the illness leave, the employee's ability to return to work, and the employee's capability to perform the duties of the employee's position. It shall be within the discretion of the board and the superintendent to determine the type and amount of evidence necessary.