3.9WF—LICENSED PERSONNEL SICK LEAVE BANK

One month after the beginning of each school year, licensed personnel may voluntarily contribute one day of their sick leave allowance to a sick leave bank. Each teacher or administrator wishing to make a contribution to the bank shall do so on a sick leave bank form submitted to the sick leave bank chairperson or committee member. In the event that bank days run short during the year, licensed personnel may voluntarily contribute one more day.

A six-member committee shall oversee the administration of the sick leave bank with the assistance of the superintendent. The committee shall be comprised of two (2) high school, two (2) middle school, and two (2) elementary teachers who have contributed to the sick leave bank. Their term of office shall be staggered at one (1) and two (2) year terms. The sick leave bank committee members will be elected at the time that faculty members are elected to the personnel policies committee. A chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and a secretary of the sick leave bank shall be elected from the six-member committee for a one-year term. The vice-chairperson will automatically assume the chairmanship the following year. The sick leave bank committee shall decide on requests based on the committee’s rules of operation by majority vote. The sick leave committee shall administer the bank according to the following rules:

1. Sick leave bank days are to be used for emergencies, not as supplementary insurance.

2. Licensed personnel who have made contributions to the bank may make withdrawals from the bank.
The number of days withdrawn shall be up to the discretion of the sick leave bank committee.

3. Sick leave grants made from the bank shall be up to twenty (20) days for an individual applicant per
year, if the days are available. Sick leave bank members may make withdrawals one time for one
illness during a school year.

4. The sick leave bank days may be used only upon exhaustion of a bank member’s accumulated sick
leave.

5. Sick leave bank days will be granted only in cases of an emergency caused by a serious illness or a
serious accident pertaining to a sick leave bank member, spouse, children, parents and/or brothers and
sisters or (2) to visit an immediate family member on leave from military deployment to an overseas
combat zone.

6. Request for sick leave bank days will be made on a sick leave bank request form submitted to the
chairperson or member of the sick leave bank committee. In case of emergency, requests may be
made to a sick leave bank committee member by phone, with the proper form submitted within two
(2) days of return to work.

7. No half-days may be withdrawn from the sick leave bank.

8. Any member of the sick leave bank making withdrawals from the bank must contribute at least the
minimum one (1) day at the beginning of the next school year in order to be eligible to make
withdrawals from the bank for succeeding years.

9. If any sick leave days granted to an employee by the sick leave bank are not used for the specific
illness, which is approved then these days will be lost by the employee and returned to the sick leave
bank.

10\. At the beginning of each school year or at the time of employment, each teacher or administrator who        is  not already a member of the sick leave bank will be given the opportunity to join.

11. It shall be the duty of the sick leave bank committee to grant withdrawals of the sick leave bank days
based upon need and the applicant’s previous use of sick leave days.

12. Employees who serve the district in both classified and certified positions may only participate in one (1) bank and will be asked to only contribute to one (1) bank.

The sick leave bank committee shall be responsible for the proper maintenance and development of records and report forms. The committee shall work closely with the administration in administering the sick leave bank days.

The maximum number of days contributed to the sick leave bank in any school year shall not exceed the number of certified personnel.

After the maximum number of days in the sick leave bank is reached, sick leave bank members will not have to contribute sick leave days, and may still be considered members with the exception of those who made withdrawals during the previous school year. The maximum number of sick leave days shall be twice the number of certified personnel making contributions to the sick leave bank.

Spousal Donations
District employees who are a legally married couple are eligible to utilize each other’s sick leave if one or the other has exhausted all of his or her sick leave days. Written permission must be received for each day of donated sick leave. If the employees are paid at different rates of pay, the lesser rate of pay shall be used for the purpose of the donated sick leave days.

Legal Reference: A.C.A. § 6-17-1208

Date Adopted: March 8, 2004
Last Revised: June 12, 2024