Ridgeland Federation of Teachers Local 943

Sick Leave Bank By-Laws

ARTICLE I: SICK LEAVE BANK COMMITTEE
1. The Sick Leave Bank (SLB) committee shall consist of seven (7) staff members who
shall develop the operating rules and implementation procedures for the SLB. These
seven (7) staff members will vote on each application presented to the SLB committee. A
majority vote is required for an application to be approved.
2. All attempts will be made to secure one (1) SLB committee member from each school
building in the district, one of which should be a nurse and one of which should be a
support staff representative. The seventh member of the committee will be a Union
officer or Executive Board member appointed by the Union President.
3. One member of the SLB committee will be appointed as the chairperson of the
committee, with approval of the Union President. The SLB chairperson shall be
responsible for:
A) Collecting all applications and documentation for members applying for SLB
benefits.
B) Scheduling and presiding over all SLB committee meetings.
C) Convening the committee to discuss the facts of the case once all required paperwork
is submitted.
D) Communicating all decisions to SLB members who apply for benefits in a timely
manner.
4. The SLB committee members will be given a list of all current and eligible members of
the SLB each year. The SLB committee members will contact staff members as they
become eligible each school year to extend the offer of membership in the SLB. The
SLB committee members may also contact those who have previously chosen to not join
the SLB and offer the opportunity for membership once again.
5. The SLB committee member in each building is responsible for distributing, collecting,
and retaining all membership forms for each SLB member. All members must join and
turn in their membership application no later than October 1 of each school year.
6. The Union President has the right to attend all SLB committee meetings at his/her
discretion, but he/she will only vote in the absence of the Union Executive Board voting

member.
7. All operating guidelines, by-laws, forms, and implementation procedures for the SLB
should be developed by the SLB committee and approved by the majority of the Union
Executive Board.
8. The decision of the SLB committee is final and a SLB member shall have no right to
grieve, arbitrate, or take legal action against the SLB committee members or the Union if
their application is not approved.
ARTICLE II: PROCEDURES FOR APPLICATION OF BENEFITS
1. Membership in the Sick Leave Bank (SLB) shall be open to all staff who have been
members of the bargaining unit for at least one school year.
2. Membership in the SLB shall be open to eligible members until October 1 for that school
year.
3. Membership in the SLB shall require a full-time bargaining unit member (.6 or more) to
contribute two (2) days of accumulated sick leave which was earned in a year preceding
the year of enrollment. Part-time bargaining unit members (.5 or less) are required to
contribute one (1) day of sick leave. If a part-time SLB member becomes a full-time
employee, they will need to contribute one (1) additional day to maintain membership.
Additionally, membership in the SLB automatically obligates a person to contribute
additional day(s) as may be required by the SLB committee for the purpose of
maintaining the balance of days (at not less than .65 times the number of enrolled
participants). These additional days may be automatically contributed, but members will
be notified when this happens. If a member refuses to contribute additional days as
necessary, their membership will be terminated and they will no longer be considered a
member of the SLB. If this happens, the member has no right to reclaim their previously
contributed sick days.
4. A participant may cancel membership at any time by indicating their intent to cancel, in
writing, to the chairperson of the SLB committee. Cancellation of membership,
regardless of reason, shall mean forfeiture of any claim to contributed days and benefits
of membership.
5. If a person who cancels his/her membership wishes to again become a member in good
standing, they must contribute the normal number of days required for initial
membership, plus the number of days assessed on the members for contribution to the
SLB during the period of time in which their membership lapsed.
6. Resignation, dismissal, or retirement from the district shall terminate SLB membership.
A resigned, terminated, or retired employee shall not be entitled to reclaim days

previously contributed to the SLB nor shall such employee be eligible for any benefits of
membership after the effective date of the resignation, termination, or retirement.
7. A suspended employee, who has had all rights of due process available relative to his/her
suspension, shall not be eligible to participate in the benefits of the SLB during the time
of suspension.
8. A SLB member who is on an authorized paid leave from the District shall remain a
member in good standing and be eligible to all regular benefits.
9. A SLB member who is on an authorized, unpaid leave from the District shall be an
inactive member in good standing who will not be eligible to withdraw days or benefits
from the SLB. Such employees shall be required to contribute to the SLB any days
assessed on SLB members during the time of the unpaid leave when returning to active
membership.
10. A SLB member who leaves the district while being a member of the sick leave bank, may
rejoin by contributing the required number of days in accordance with Sections 1, 2, and
3 of these by-laws.
11. Authorized withdrawal by participating members from the SLB shall be made only after
one year of membership and only upon approval of the majority of the members of the
SLB committee. The SLB members history and prior use of sick days may be taken into
consideration when granting or denying sick day through the SLB. The decision of the
SLB committee is final and a SLB member shall have no right to grieve, arbitrate, or take
legal action against the SLB committee members or the Union if their application is not
approved.
12. The SLB shall not be used for:
A) Elective surgery
B) Cosmetic surgery (as defined in insurance policy) except if complications result
therefrom.
C) Any procedure, surgery, or treatment that can be safely deferred until a
natural/planned break in the school calendar (winter break, spring break, summer
break, etc.).
13. Withdrawals from the SLB must be preceded/accompanied by the following:
A) A fully completed written application for sick days is required. This shall be
accompanied by other documentation including, but not limited to a completed
Physician Documentation Form, evidencing a legitimate need for the use of SLB days

(5 to 30 days per application). The committee may ask for additional information and
records from the treating physician, if necessary.
B) The exhaustion of all personal accumulated sick days.
C) An individual must experience two (2) days of leave without wages between the
exhaustion of personal sick days and a withdrawal of sick days from the SLB.
14. All of the documentation listed in Section 13A shall be submitted to the chairperson of
the SLB committee.
15. The SLB committee shall approve withdrawal of the SLB days in increments of not less
than five (5) working days and not more than thirty (30) working days. Prior to the
expiration of the withdrawn days, a member should apply for an extension of benefits, if
necessary. This requires the member to go through the entire application and
documentation process once again. It will be at the discretion of the SLB committee to
determine the minimum and maximum number of days granted to any applicant during a
school year. However, a SLB member may not be granted any more than 185 days
during the course of any school year. Furthermore, a SLB member may not re-apply for
additional days for the same illness or injury during a subsequent school year. The SLB
committee has the right to grant the full amount of days requested or a lesser number of
days at their discretion.
16. A SLB member that withdraws days from the SLB must submit a work release form from
their attending physician to the district payroll person upon returning to work after their
leave has expired.
17. Any fraudulent information given to the SLB shall result in repayment of the fraudulently

obtained days, permanent exclusion from membership in the SLB, and possible
disciplinary action by the district.