Sick Leave Bank
The purpose of the Coweta County School System Sick Leave Bank is to provide its members with sick leave for serious illness, serious injury, or non-elective surgery after their own accumulated sick leave has been exhausted. Employees who elect to become members of the Sick Leave Bank are required to contribute part of their accumulated sick leave to the Bank. Members may withdraw sick leave from the Bank only in accordance with the procedures established by the Coweta County Board of Education.
Membership
- Any permanent employee entitled to sick leave in the Coweta County School System may become a member by donating one (1) day of his/her accumulated sick leave during the Open Enrollment Period. This one (1) day will be pulled from the employee’s sick leave balance the last work day during the month of December.
- Membership requests will only be accepted during the annual open enrollment period.
- New employees are eligible for participation in the first open enrollment period.
- The donation of one (1) sick day to establish membership must be deposited in writing on the Sick Leave Donation Form.
- Donations of sick leave to the Sick Leave Bank are not refundable and not transferable.
- Membership to the Sick Leave Bank is considered continuous unless written notice of withdrawal of membership is received by the Committee within the Open Enrollment Period of a subsequent year.
Sick Leave Days
- The Sick Leave Bank shall have a minimum of 500 days on deposit before it may be activated.
- In the event the balance of days on deposit falls below 750 during the school year, all participating members shall contribute one (1) additional day will be assessed during the next open enrollment in order to restore the bank to the established level. Employee members shall be notified in writing prior to necessary contribution of one (1) additional day for deposit maintenance.
Day Donation Requirement
Board Regulation GBRIB(1)-R states:
In the event the balance of days on deposit falls below 750 during the school year, all participating members shall contribute one (1) additional day during the next open enrollment in order to restore the bank to the established level. Employee members shall be notified in writing prior to necessary contribution of one (1) additional day for deposit maintenance.
Administration
- The Coweta County School System Sick Leave Bank shall be administered by a committee consisting of seven employees appointed annually by the Superintendent and approved by the Coweta County Board of Education: a school based administrator; a member of the central office staff; a secondary teacher; a middle school teacher; an elementary teacher; and two employees from the classified ranks.
- The committee shall have the responsibility for receiving, verifying, and approving or denying requests for Sick Leave Bank withdrawals.
- The committee shall elect a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and a secretary.
- The committee will render a decision on all applications within twenty (20) working days of receipt of the complete application.
- The decision of the committee must reflect a majority vote of those present, providing a minimum of five members are present.
- The decision of the committee is final and is not subject to appeal.
- The committee will use the following criteria in administering the Sick Leave Bank and in rendering their decisions:
- The Employee Must have Medical Evidence of serious illness;
- The Employee Must use all accumulated sick leave; and
- The Employee Must use all vacation days.
- All records of the Sick Leave Bank shall be maintained by the Benefits Department. The Committee shall inform the Benefits Department of all applications they approve and the amount of additional leave granted the employee.
Definitions
- “Member” means any full-time employee who is entitled to sick leave in the Coweta County School System who agrees to follow the procedures established for the Coweta County School System Sick Leave Bank.
- “Withdrawal” means to receive a day or days from the Coweta County School System Sick Leave Bank to be counted toward the member’s sick leave days.
- “Contribute” means the giving of a day or days of a member’s sick leave to the Coweta County School System Sick Leave Bank.
- “Accumulated sick leave” means sick leave afforded to an employee of the Coweta County School System over the years of employment that has not been used.
Withdrawl Procedures
- A member of the Sick Leave Bank shall be eligible to make application for withdrawal of days from the bank provided that:
- Sick Leave Bank days may be utilized for the employee’s illness or the illness of an immediate family member, to include spouse, child, or parent in life threatening situations.
- He/she has exhausted his/her own accumulated leave (sick and vacation).
- 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.
- All requests to withdraw days from the Sick Leave Bank shall be filed with the Committee on the Sick Leave Bank Withdrawal Form.
- 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.
- An applicant may be required to undergo a medical review by a physician approved by the Committee at his/her own expense.
- Leave grants from the Bank shall be in units of up to twenty (20) consecutive workdays.
- Applicants may submit requests for extensions of leave before their prior grant expires.
- The maximum number of days a member may receive in any year (January 1 through December 31) is sixty (60) days.
- All leave granted, but not used by the member, must be returned to the Sick Leave Bank.
- Sick leave granted to a member from the Sick Leave Bank does not have to be repaid.
- Each member shall sign a Sick Leave Bank Donation Form stating that he/she is aware of the provisions of the Sick Leave Bank and that he/she relieves the Committee and the Coweta County School System from any liability as a result of action taken by the Committee.
- This policy takes effect upon approval of the Board.