Sick Leave

I. Amount Earned

A full-time employee who is working or on paid leave for one-half or more of the regularly scheduled work days in any month shall earn sick leave with pay computed at the following rates:

Hours Earned Each Month: 7.5 Hours

Hours Earned Each Year: 90 Hours

A permanent part-time staff employee who is employed on a continuing basis for as much as half-time shall earn sick leave at half the full-time rate if he/she works one-half or more of the scheduled workdays in a month. The leave shall be computed based on the total amount earned by a full-time employee.

II. Accumulation and Advancement

Sick leave is cumulative indefinitely. The President may advance sick leave NOT to exceed the amount an employee can earn during the calendar year (January - December).

III. Verification of Sick Leave

The President or appropriate Vice President may require a statement from a medical doctor or other acceptable proof that the employee was unable to work. This provision is to preclude abuse of the sick leave privileges.

IV. Reasons for Sick Leave

Sick leave may be granted for:

1. Illness or injury which prevents an employee from performing his/her usual duties;
2. Illness or injury of a member of an employee's immediate family which prevents an employee from performing his/her usual duties. Immediate family is defined as:
   • Spouse: A husband or wife;
   • Parent: a biological or adoptive parent; or an individual who stood in loco parentis (a person who is in the position or place of a parent) to an employee when the employee was a child; or a step-parent; or in-law relationships;
   • Child: a son or daughter who is: a biological child, or an adopted child; or a foster child (a child for whom the employee performs the duties of a parent as if it were the employee’s child); or step-child (a child of the employee’s spouse); or a legal ward (a minor child placed by the court under the care of a guardian); or a child of an employee standing in local parentis; or in-law relationships;
   • Sister or brother: biological; or adoptive (including step-, half- or in-law relationships);
   • Grandparents, great grandparents, grand children, great grandchildren (including step relationships); and
   • Other dependents living in the employee’s household.
3. Medical appointments;
4. Quarantine due to a contagious disease in the employee's immediate family;
5. Childbearing, pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion or childbirth and recovery.
6. Adoption of a child, limited to a maximum of 30 working days for each parent (which is equivalent to a biological mother’s average period of disability). These days shall be consecutive and within the first twelve months following adoption.
7. Sick leave may be taken during the waiting period prior to receiving short-term disability benefits.
8. Personal Leave for faculty and instructional paraprofessional as specified in this Policy.

Whenever possible, employees should give 30 days advance notice of plans to take sick leave for elective medical or surgical procedures or for childbirth. Sick leave is nontransferable to any other type of leave.

V. Leave Charges

1. Hours taken are cumulative to and reported as the nearest one-fourth (.25) hour.
2. Only scheduled workdays shall be charged in calculating the amount of leave taken. Saturdays and/or Sundays are charged only if they are scheduled workdays.

VI. Separation

1. Unless otherwise required by this policy or state law, upon separation of employment, all sick leave is lost and is not paid out to the employee.
2. Should an employee be separated before he/she has earned all of the sick leave taken, it will be necessary to make deductions from his or her final paycheck for the overdrawn leave.

VII. Reinstatement of Sick Leave

If an employee is separated for any reason and is reinstated within three (3) years from the date of his/her last workday, the College will reinstate sick leave credits accumulated at the time of separation. Sick leave may be reinstated when a new employee is hired within three (3) years after separating from a State agency which has an established sick leave policy. If the employee is eligible for retirement within five (5) years of separation, the sick leave may be applied toward retirement eligibility. One (1) month of retirement credit is allowed for each 20 days, or portion thereof, of sick leave to an employee’s credit upon retirement.

VIII. Sick Leave Transferable

Unused sick leave shall be transferred when an employee transfers between State agencies which have an established sick leave policy. A statement of verification of unused sick leave must be submitted by the previous employing agency.

IX. Insurance

Employees on sick leave with pay are entitled to remain on the group coverage and receive contributions from the State during the leave period.

X. Leave Records

It is the responsibility of the Business Office to maintain annual records for sick leave earned and taken for each employee. The crediting and balancing of an employee's sick leave record is to be completed each month. Sick leave balances are listed each month on the employee's check. Leave reports and time sheets submitted to the Business Office must be signed by the employee and supervisor.

The College will retain sick leave records for all separated employees for a period of at least four (4) years from the date of separation.

XI. Personal Leave for Faculty and Instructional Paraprofessionals

The College allows teaching faculty and instructional paraprofessionals to use up to two days of earned sick leave for each fall and spring semester for personal reasons not covered by other leave policies. This leave should be used for matters generally not under the control of the employee and are not intended to be used for personal vacation There is a limit to the amount of leave that can occur at any one time without jeopardizing the quality of instructional services. Therefore, these days must be approved in advance by the dean and vice president prior to being taken. Providing appropriate class coverage at no additional cost to the institution will be a determining factor in granting the request as will the quality of instruction and learning. The dean will coordinate this coverage with the faculty member requesting the leave. Requests for personal leave should be submitted on the Faculty Leave Request Form and must be made, when possible, 30 days prior to the requested leave. Any additional time taken not within this policy or covered by other leave will be considered leave without pay and must use the same approval process. Personal leave cannot exceed the two (2) days per semester unless recommended by the Vice President and approved by the President.

Employees classified as permanent part-time prior to May 12, 2009 who currently work at least twenty hours or up to twenty-eight hours per week shall earn annual and sick leave on a pro-rated basis. No new assignments will be made under this classification after May 12, 2009.

Policy Number: 302-03-01BP

Adopted: June 29, 2010

Reviewed: May 2019

Amended: May 24, 2011; September 24, 2019; March 24, 2020

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