Each employee of the district shall, at their option, be eligible to participate in the Sick Leave Bank. To participate, the employee shall contribute a minimum of two (2) earned sick leave days to establish membership. Sick leave days thus contributed shall be deducted from the individual’s annual sick leave entitlement. A minimum of ten (10) days will be maintained in the Bank. When the bank reaches the minimum, members will be asked to donate days to re-establish the reserve.

Use of the Sick Leave Bank shall be restricted to members for the purpose of alleviating the hardship caused by absence from work necessitated by extended illness, accident or surgery beyond the employee’s accumulated sick leave and personal leave. Sick Leave Bank days may be granted for pregnancy provided medical complications occur.

To be eligible to apply for use of the Sick Leave Bank, the employee must:

• Become a member by contributing 2 days to the bank (enrollment shall be by September 10^th of each school year).
• Have been absent from work due to illness or accident for all of his/her accumulated sick leave plus personal leave days.

Application for use of the bank shall be submitted to the Sick Leave Bank Committee for their recommendation by obtaining and completing a request form from a Sick Leave Bank Building Representative. When a request is made, the Building Representative will notify the District Payroll Clerk to establish eligibility. Once eligibility is determined, the Building Representative will contact the Sick Leave Bank Chair to set a meeting time. The committee will meet to review the request.  The committee will not consider any assignments, performance, length of service, or other items not related to the illness. The committee may require proof of illness at the time of application and from time to time after a grant has been made. A simple majority vote among the committee is required for approval.

The number of days granted shall not exceed the number of days absent due to accident or illness. Sick Leave Bank grants cannot be carried over from one year to another and all such grants will end at the termination of each school year.  All unused days shall be returned to the Sick Leave Bank.

Members retiring or leaving the employment of the District must repay any indebtedness to the Sick Leave Bank with accumulated sick leave days prior to departure.

Days borrowed must be repaid to the Sick Leave Bank at a minimum of two (2) days per year commencing with the year following the year the days were borrowed.  When a classified employee transfers out of the District, his/her donated days will remain in the bank. 

The Sick Leave Bank Committee shall consist of a Chair, a Gooding Elementary School Representative, a Gooding Middle School Representative, a Gooding High School Representative, and the District Superintendent. Representatives will be selected at the beginning of each school year and reported to the District Superintendent and Payroll Clerk.

The District Payroll Clerk will maintain a master ledger of membership, days granted and days available.  All transactions will be reported to the District Payroll Clerk by the 10^th of each month for the payroll considerations. 

Sick Leave Donations

Employees are permitted to donate to a specific employee in need by filling out a Designation Form, designating the receiving employee and number of days to donate. The days donated will be added to the receiving employee’s sick days benefit. Any sick days donated must be taken and posted during the current fiscal year in which the days were donated.  Any donated days that aren’t used by the end of the fiscal year will be returned to the employee who donated them. All PERSI regulations will apply.  Sick Leave Designation Forms can be requested from a member of the Sick Leave Bank Committee. A completed form must be submitted to the District Payroll Clerk by the 10^th of the month for payroll considerations. 

Legal Reference: I.C. § 33-1216                                    Sick and other leave Cross Reference:                                    5400     Leaves of Absence

Policy History:

Adopted on: April 9, 2013 Revised on:8-13-24