Schools will be reopening soon and different accommodations will be needed by many for success. Read the below article from BERT to see what you need to do to make the transition move smoothly.
Returning to Work in Our Schools: COVID-19 Related Leaves and Accomodations
(>>Source BERT)
Over the past many weeks, the Human Resources Office has been busy focusing on staffing the reopening of our schools. That said, it is important that we understand our staffing needs and anticipate any COVID-19 related leave or accommodation requests from our employees. To that end, we have developed the following procedures for our employees who may fall into what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls “high risk categories” or who have another reason for submitting a leave or accommodation request related to COVID-19. This procedure is below, and again, it is for any related COVID-19 leave request or accommodation. All other leave requests, accommodations etc. should follow the standard process. Please see your collective bargaining agreement or the employee handbook regarding required leave and accommodation request protocols or contact the @HR Team if you have any questions.
COVID-19 Related Leave or Accommodation Request Process:
- The high risk categories can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y8bffjbh
- We are recommending that any staff member who is within one of these categories or who has another reason for submitting a leave or accommodation request meet with their physician to see if they are believed to be at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. As the privacy guidelines under HIPAA do not allow CRB to require disclosure of personal medical information, this is a voluntary process initiated at your request.
- If so, the physician should recommend in writing the basis for the leave or accommodation request that the employee needs. A determination of whether this is a temporary situation or a permanent issue should be included in the physician’s note. In order for Dr. Warren Silverman, Medical Director to be able to speak with or obtain records from the personal physician, he would need an authorization form signed by the requesting staff member.
- The request would be reviewed by Human Resources and if necessary, Dr. Silverman, so that a reasonable leave or accommodation plan can be discussed where required by Federal or State law pertaining to leave and accommodation requests. This review process will comply with HIPAA and all applicable privacy guidelines. Additional documentation may be requested after reviewing the employee’s initial submission.
Should you be in one or more of the high risk categories and potentially in need of leave or an accommodation, we are asking you to reach out to the Human Resources Office by the close of business Friday, August 7, 2020 where possible. While we understand this is an incredibly uneasy time, we need to be able to adequately staff our schools and provide services to our students.
The @HR Team is here to help, so should you have any questions on this procedure or anything please, please reach out at your convenience.
