Change 3 to Norfork Personnel Policy Manual Adopted by Board action in May 2006

Paragraph 8 is amended: Replace the contents of sub-paragraph D with the following:

D. Sick Bank Policy - Norfork School District will administer two sick leave banks, Elementary and High School, for all full time certified personnel who wish to participate. Participation shall be on a voluntary basis. In addition, a "Well-ness Program" will be established in which certified staff receives $200 for not using any sick days during the school year.

 

Each participant shall contribute one (1) day of sick leave per year. The participant must submit, no later than the 15th of September, a signed agreement to the District Treasurer's Office authorizing the contributed day. After the election to participate in the sick leave bank has been made, the participation shall be continuous, unless the District Treasurer receives a written request from the participant by September 15th for withdrawal of membership in the sick leave bank. Days contributed to the sick leave bank by signed authorization cannot be returned to the participant. Furthermore, transfer of sick days is no longer available. Requests or questions need to be directed to the Sick Bank Committee.

 

Days from the sick leave bank may be used by any contributing member in the event of a catastrophic illness or accident. The catastrophic illness or accident will be determined by a special committee of contributors elected by participating members and the administration. Participating members must use up accumulated sick days and personal days before requesting from the sick leave bank. Sick leave bank days will only be granted for circumstances which require five (5) or more full school days of consecutive absence. All requests must be submitted in writing.

 

No participant shall receive more than thirty (30) days from the sick leave bank in any one (1) fiscal year. No more than thirty (30) sick leave bank days may be used per illness. The number of days that can be drawn by an individual is subject to availability. Newly hired employees will be able to enroll in the sick leave bank within thirty (30) days of their contracted service with the District. Sick leave days will not be granted for elective surgery that could be scheduled during designated vacation periods or for treatment plans that could be scheduled outside normal work hours. Any member who is receiving temporary disability payments from the Workers" Compensation Insurance Fund is not eligible to receive sick leave bank days.

 

The committee shall meet as necessary for the purpose of reviewing requests for withdrawal from the bank. The determination of the committee shall be final.

 

Sick Leave Bank Application Procedures:

 

(1.) Employee shall complete an official request for sick leave bank form bearing the employee's signature. Sick leave bank forms are available from the immediate supervisor or the District Office.

 

(2.) Employees shall complete a release of medical information form to allow the members of the sick leave bank committee to review any medical documentation that they provide with the request for sick leave bank days.

 

(3.) The illness / injury must be medically documented with a statement bearing an original signature from the attending physician or signed by the attending nurse, office manager, etc.

The Sick Bank Application Form has been added as Enclosure 4 to this manual.

Paragraph 34 Added

34. Professional Development Policy - All professional development must be tied to student achievement, the school improvement plan, and a teacher's professional growth-plan. It shall be the policy of Norfork Schools to assure that professional development / staff development activities shall relate to:

 

Content (K-12)

Assessment

System Change Process

Educational Technology

Cognitive Research

Instructional Strategies

Advocacy / Leadership

Mentoring / Coaching / Parental Involvement

Principles of Learning / Development Stages

Building a Collaborative Learning Community

 

Each instructor and administrator will be required to have sixty (60) hours of professional development annually. At least six (6) hours of the sixty (60) hours of the required professional development shall be in the area of educational technology. At least two (2) hours of the professional development for instructors shall be in the area of effective parental involvement strategies. For administrators, at least three (3) hours of professional development shall be in the area effective parental involvement and the importance of administrative leadership in setting expectations and creating a climate conducive to parental participation. Each administrator shall also include training in data disaggregating, instructional leadership, and fiscal management as developed or approved by the Department of Education.

 

The sixty (60) hours of professional development must be fulfilled between June 1 and May 31 of each school year, unless a waiver for professional development is obtained either by the school or the education cooperative.

 

A three (3) hour college course shall count as twelve (12) hours of professional development. No more than half of the required sixty (60) hours of professional development time may be met through college credit hours.

 

Up to twelve (12) hours of professional development credit may be earned by certified personnel for time required at the beginning of each school year to plan and prepare a curriculum and other instructional materials for their assigned classes if the time is spent according to regulation set forth in 6-17-705 of the School Laws of Arkansas.

 

It shall be the teacher's responsibility to receive approval for professional development prior to the activity, It shall also be the responsibility of the teacher to obtain documentation of the professional development hours attended and to see that the documentation is given to the building principal for accountability purposes. This documentation shall be required for teaching certification renewal. Teachers should keep a copy of all documentation turned in to the principal.

 

The building principal will inform the teachers concerning the number of in-service days that will be required to take place on our campus at the beginning of school and the number of days they will be required to take through the Co-op or other in-service source. This may vary from year to year based upon the needs of the district.

End of Change 3 text.