Skip To Main Content

GBGH-R, Sick Leave Bank

GBGH-R, Sick Leave Bank

View Print Version

A sick leave bank has been established to provide a source of sick leave for a district employee who has a serious illness or accident and uses up all accumulated leave or for a new employee who likewise has a serious illness or accident and does not have accumulated leave to use. The sick leave bank will operate under the following regulations:

  1. An employee shall be automatically enrolled in the sick leave bank unless the employee completes and returns the approved opt-out form by October 1 of each year.

  2. Initial enrollment in the sick leave bank requires a contribution equal to one day of the employee’s annual leave, up to eight hours.

  3. Opt-out decisions will remain in effect for the duration of the staff member’s employment unless the employee elects, in writing, to become a member of the sick leave bank during the open enrollment period (annually July-September).

  4. Employees who are members of the sick leave bank shall be restricted to using the bank for their own serious illness or accident. Sick leave bank coverage does not include common ailments such as pink eye, flu, cold, strep throat, sinus infections, etc. when hospitalization is not necessary.

  5. New licensed and APT (administrative, professional, technical) staff hired after October 1 will be given 10 contract days from the date of contract approval to opt out of the sick leave bank. New classified staff employees hired after October 1 will be given 30 days from the date of hire to opt out of the sick leave bank.

  6. After initial enrollment in the sick leave bank, employees may remain members of the sick leave bank by contributing up to eight hours of annual leave per year as determined by the sick leave bank committee unless they submit the opt-out form to withdraw from the bank during the open enrollment period.

  7. Any hours remaining in the sick leave bank at the end of any school year will accrue to the following year. By June 1, the sick leave bank committee will determine if an additional assessment is needed to replenish the bank for the following year.

  8. Application for benefits from the bank will be made in writing on a form provided by the sick leave bank committee. The application must be accompanied by a physician’s statement specifying the nature of the serious illness, the days and extensiveness of treatment, and the anticipated date of release for return to work.

  9. The sick leave bank committee will notify the applicant of its decision in written form and will provide copies of requests for withdrawal of hours to the human resources department after each subsequent request. Financial services will report actual hours used to the sick leave bank committee.

Sick Leave Bank Committees

Responsibility for operation of the sick leave bank for professional staff is vested in a professional staff sick leave bank committee which will include the TEA president or designee and one member from the administration/exempt staff participating in the bank.

Responsibility for operation of the sick leave bank for classified staff is vested in the classified staff sick leave bank committee. The committee shall be composed of three classified staff members and the benefits manager or another human resources designee.

Donate-a-Day

An employee who has used all other available leave but still must miss work in order to care for an ill member of his or her immediate family may apply for leave through the donate-a-day program. All employees shall be eligible for the donate-a-day program.

Applicants for the donate-a-day program may request up to two days from each employee who is eligible to donate days from his or her current annual leave for use by the applicant. No employee may donate more than 16 hours per year to this program.

Employees applying for such leave must obtain an application form from the sick leave bank committee, stating the number of additional leave days requested and the relationship of the person for whom the employee will be caring. The application must be accompanied by a doctor’s statement specifying the nature of the immediate family member’s illness, its expected duration and the extensiveness of treatment.

The sick leave bank committee will notify the applicant of its decision in written form and will provide copies of requests for withdrawal of hours to the human resources department for each subsequent request. Financial services will report actual hours used to the sick leave bank committee.

Employees participating in the 110 transition program are not eligible to receive days through this program but they may donate days if they have them available.

Any donated days not used will be transferred to the sick leave bank.

Approved February 2, 1994
Revised January 6, 2010
Revised and recoded May 16, 2012

Contract Reference

  • TEA Agreement - Article 9, Leaves, Section 9-1, Sick Leave Bank; Section 9-11, Donate-a-Day