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New staff members will be given an application when they begin at HBR to join the sick bank or decline joining. Should you decline and wish to join later, an enrollment form can be obtained by contacting the Chairperson at any time.
HBREA Voluntary Sick Leave Bank Guidelines
(updated 05/2022)
A. CREATION
A Sick Leave Bank (hereinafter referred to as the “Bank”) has been established by the Board of Education in cooperation with the Hinckley- Big Rock Education Association (hereinafter referred to as the “Association”). The Association shall administer the Bank and shall establish rules for its implementation. A copy of the rules so established shall be kept on file in the District’s Business Office.
The intent of the Bank is to provide extended sick leave protection to eligible teachers who have exhausted their accumulated sick leave and who incur a period of prolonged personal illness, disability or hospitalization. It is not the intent of this Bank to provide additional sick leave to teachers who have exhausted their District sick leave or personal days and then experience a temporary, commonplace illness, such as a cold or flu. It remains the intent of the HBREA and the Board of Education to strive to maintain good attendance in the District.
B. ADMINISTRATION OF THE SICK LEAVE BANK
1. The Sick Bank shall be administered by a five (5) member Sick Leave Bank Committee. The Committee shall consist of two (2) members appointed from the HBREA Executive Board, and one (1) Association member enrolled in the Bank appointed from each District school building. The Committee shall select a Chair of the Committee each school year.
2. Any expenses incurred for the operation of the Bank shall be the exclusive responsibility of the Association.
3. Decisions of the Committee shall be made by a simple majority of the entire Committee.
4. Bank guidelines and forms shall be subject to review annually by the Committee prior to the end of each school year.
5. The Association shall provide to the District Business Office the names of all participating Bank members and their respective sick day donations to and charges against the Bank.
C. ELIGIBILITY AND DONATION OF DAYS
1. Association members may voluntarily enroll in the Bank, provided their written enrollment form is submitted to the Chair of the Committee by September 15 of the new school year or within thirty (30) days after the member’s date of employment by the District, whichever is later.
2. Each participating Bank member, upon submission of their written enrollment form, will be required to immediately, and irrevocably, donate one (1) non-refundable day of sick leave to the
Bank, based on full-time District employment. Part-time teaching employees will contribute a prorated share of sick days, calculated at their fractional rate of employment.
3. In addition to this initial donation of one (1) day, each Bank member will be required to donate one (1) non-refundable day of sick leave to the Bank during the following year, and one (1) refundable day of sick leave during the third year.
4. Any Bank member may make a voluntary donation of days to the Bank by May 1 of any school year.
5. A participating Bank member will be involuntarily withdrawn from further participation in the Bank upon termination of that member’s District employment as a result of dismissal, retirement or resignation.
6. Written cancellation or revocation of membership in the Bank shall mean forfeiture of any claims to donated days and benefits of Bank membership, and such member will not receive their donated days back.
7. In addition to the initial donations of days, each Bank member will be required to donate one (1) additional sick day to the Bank whenever the total number of days in the Bank falls below twenty five (25) days in any school year.
D. CONDITIONS FOR WITHDRAWAL AND USE OF BANKED DAYS
1. Any Bank member shall be allowed to draw days from the Bank for her/his own personal illness, disability or hospitalization when the Bank member has exhausted all of her/his accumulated District sick days.
2. The maximum number of Bank days that will be granted to a member for the same illness, disability or hospitalization will be sixty (60) days.
3. Withdrawals from the Bank will be granted in increments of no more than twenty (20) days. Bank members may submit requests for additional increments of Bank days prior to the expiration of their prior grant of days. Any unused days shall be returned to the Bank.
4. Any and all applications or petitions for withdrawal of days from the Bank shall be accompanied by the certification of a licensed medical physician attesting to the medical necessity set forth in the application. Members of the Committee shall maintain the confidentiality of all such medical information, including the nature of the member’s illness, disability, medical condition and treatment, or reasons for hospitalization.
5. Applications for withdrawal of Bank days may be submitted on behalf of incapacitated Bank members by the member’s authorized agent or family member.
6. No Bank member who is receiving disability benefit payments from the Teachers Retirement System (TRS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), or the Veterans’ Administration (VA), or who is absent from teaching duty for illness or injury due to a work-related accident compensable under the Illinois Workers Compensation Act may avail her- or himself of any benefits of this Bank for the duration of time they are receiving such benefits payments.
7. Use of the Bank will not be available to a Bank member whose prolonged illness, disability or hospitalization is related to a medical procedure that could be safely deferred or postponed until a District vacation recess or other non-duty period. The Bank is not available for elective procedures.
8. Only Bank members who terminate District employment for purposes of retirement will have their unused Bank days returned to them upon request – minus their original two (2) non- refundable donation days and then only provided their total accumulated District sick days are fewer than the three-hundred forty (340) days required for full TRS credit accrual. Requests for the return of unused Bank days must be received by the Committee prior to May 15 of the retiring member’s final school year.
9. Due to extenuating circumstances (i.e. the COVID-19 Pandemic), the Sick Bank Committee can allow the distribution of sick days to Sick Bank members in a given year.
E. HOLD HARMLESS
The Association agrees to hold harmless the Board of Education, its members, employees and/or agents against any claims, damages or legal action initiated with respect to the operation of the Bank.