Sick Leave Bank
The purpose of the Sick Leave Bank is to relieve its members from undue financial burdens due to absence from work on a long-term basis due to personal illness, injury, or incapacitation sufficiently severe that it would make presence in school inadvisable.
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For more information, contact Sharla Hoting, SLB Chairperson at shoting@eacs.k12.in.us.
Enrollment
To qualify for the SLB, a teacher must contribute one day from their accumulated sick day total. Teachers new to the system may enroll within thirty (30) days after the first day of active employment and upon receipt of a properly completed and signed sick leave bank donor authorization form. Sick leave days donated to the bank by a teacher are considered permanent contributions to the bank and the teacher’s election to donate is irrevocable.
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Continuing Enrollment: Current members will not be required to contribute a day unless the Sick Leave Balance has fallen below 250 days at which time all Sick Bank members will have the option to repay the bank by deducting one (1) day’s sick leave from his/her sick leave allotment if they want to continue to participate OR opt to non-renew membership and not contribute a day if they no longer want to participate. (This will not be considered the same as a committee-specified open enrollment.)
An open enrollment can be called by the committee and will occur within thirty (30) calendar days after the beginning of the school year. Open enrollment will be available for non-members and current members will not have to contribute an additional day to maintain membership.
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Additional information is included in the Sick Leave Bank Guidelines document.
Eligibility for Use
1. Any teacher who is a member of the bank may participate in the bank.
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2. Any teacher who is receiving any funds or benefits as partial or full compensation for the illness or accident causing the absence may not be eligible for sick leave bank usage.
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3. Members receiving benefits from the sick leave bank may not report to work at a second job.
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4. Any teacher who complies with the request of the committee – i.e. medical history, medical form completely filled out, doctor’s opinion, diagnosis, confirmation of the incapacitating personal illness, additional information, etc. may participate in the bank.
Criteria for Use
The committee shall use only the following criteria for granting use of the bank:
1. The applicant must be a current participant in the bank.
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2. Verification from the Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services that the teacher’s personal sick leave days have been exhausted and he/she is not receiving any public funds or benefits derived from public funds as partial or full compensation for the illness or disability causing the absence.
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3. Days granted shall begin the second day after exhaustion of all individual personal illness days.
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4. Teachers on leave due to pregnancy may be considered eligible to receive bank days only if there are serious and incapacitating complications as a result of the pregnancy. A clear distinction is made between an actual complication caused by the pregnancy and just taking “time off” due to a pregnancy.
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5. The applicant shall submit a complete review of his/her medical history, diagnosis, and prognosis for return to work, certified and dated by the attending physician within 20 days of the first date of usage. (NOTE: In extreme and unusual cases, exceptions may be approved.) The medical form provided the applicant shall be completed and submitted at the time sick leave days are requested. If the attending physician does not furnish the necessary medical history and prognosis for return to work as requested, within the time frame requested, the teacher shall not be eligible for sick leave bank days.
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6. Catastrophic illness, incapacitating illness, and accidents must be of a serious or incapacitating nature which is prolonged but does not permanently disable the teacher; the degree of which will be determined by the committee with the recommendation of the attending physician. The sick leave bank may not be used by a teacher to remain away from work in order to assist a family member who is ill.
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7. The maximum number of days that may be granted is sixty (60) each school year and must be used by and including the last scheduled teacher’s work day in the school year.
The lifetime maximum number of days granted to any member shall be no more than 180 days beginning with the 2004 – 2005 school year. The school year is here defined as the contract dates established by the school board for that year, including all days covered in an extended contract.
8. Sick leave bank days may be used for illnesses requiring an applicant to work only half days. The days must be consecutive and any interruption will cause the status to change.
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9. The sick leave bank will allow an applicant to request 1 additional day for after they return to work in order to be used for appointments pertaining to the initial diagnosis. This day must be used within the school year that the leave was taken and may not be carried over to another school year. A note or letter from the doctor will be required to be turned in to the SLB Committee within three (3) days of each the first appointment. If the note is not received, the applicant will have a day without pay. If subsequent appointment days are needed for the same condition, the applicant must apply for these days prior to the appointments and are subject to approval. The appointment days cannot cause the total days used to exceed sixty (60) days per school year.
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10. Sick leave bank days may be used if a licensed psychiatrist certifies a problem requiring psychological health care, and the applicant is enrolled in a rehabilitative program or scheduled counseling services accepted by the Sick Leave Bank Committee.
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11. Pre-existing conditions are determined as any condition or illness for which the recipient received treatment within the last six months. As a new teacher in East Allen County Schools, if a pre-existing condition is established, sick leave bank days cannot be used until the member has remained ninety (90) days treatment free or one full year (365 days) in the bank. For the purposes of this section, “treatment” shall mean any period of hospitalization, doctor’s treatment, clinic treatment, surgery, diagnosed procedure or prescription.
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12. The sick leave bank request must be approved by the committee within five (5) working days from receiving the proper paperwork.
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13. Late paperwork for an extension of sick leave bank days will not cover any unpaid days. Sick leave bank extension days cannot be used retroactively.
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14. Extensions may be requested by submitting required forms no earlier than five (5) working days before the end of the previous grant.
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15. If a member does not use all of the days granted from the bank, the unused sick leave bank days will be returned to the bank.
