SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE BOARD OF THE

TRANSITIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS

PERSONNEL POLICY

School Based Certificated Personnel and Professionals[1]

Policy #4610.1

WORK DAY

Regular attendance is essential for providing quality instruction and education to students. All school based certificated school based personnel and professionals (“Employees”) are expected to report to work on time every scheduled work day, unless prevented by illness or injury. Regular punctual attendance by Employees is necessary to facilitate the supervision of students and maintain safety.

Professionals, including nurses, shall report to duty fifteen (15) minutes before the opening of school each school day and remain at school fifteen (15) minutes after the scheduled dismissal of students. Library Media Specialist shall report to duty thirty (30) minutes prior to the beginning of the instructional day and remain until thirty (30) minutes after the end of the instructional day. All other school based certificated personnel, including teachers, are expected to report fifteen (15) minutes before the opening of school each day and remain at school ten (10) minutes after the scheduled dismissal of students. All Employees are expected to clock in and out every work day using the KRONOS database and equipment.

TARDINESS

As stated above, all Employees are expected to report to work on time (30 or 15 minutes before the opening of school as set forth above) every scheduled work day. An Employee who reports to work five (5) minutes or more after their designated start time, but before the start of the school day shall be deemed “tardy.”

In the event that an Employee is tardy during a fiscal year,[3] the following disciplinary actions shall be implemented against the Employee as follows:

4^th Tardy Occurrence in a fiscal year	Verbal Counseling
5^th Tardy Occurrence in a fiscal year	Written Reprimand
6^th Tardy Occurrence in a fiscal year	2^nd Written Reprimand
7^th Tardy Occurrence in a fiscal year	Final Written Warning
8^th Tardy Occurrence in a fiscal year	Disciplinary proceedings, up to and including termination, will be initiated

ABSENCES

Any Employee who fails to report to work by the designated start of the school day, but who arrives before lunch (or before half of their scheduled shift) shall be deemed to be “absent” for one half (1/2) of a work day.

Any Employee who arrives to work after lunch (or after more than half of their scheduled work shift) shall be deemed to be “absent” for a full work day.

ABSENCE REPORTING PROCEDURES

In the event an Employee is unable to report for duty, the Employee is responsible for notifying their building principal or administrator no later than one (1) hour prior to their scheduled start time. In addition, the Employee must call the substitute office must be called no later than 5:45 a.m. of the day of their absence. Failure to make the appropriate contacts will result in an unexcused absence.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

Attendance records will be kept accurately and up-to-date. Guidelines are established and will be used to assist in assessing attendance. Excused absences are those absences where the Employee is authorized to be absent due to approved vacations, personal days, approved FMLA or other designated and approved leave. In addition, excused absences are those absences which occur pursuant to the District’s Sick Leave policy and for which the Employee has appropriately followed the District’s absence reporting procedures as noted above.[4]

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

If an Employee incurs absences not covered under the District’s sick leave/personal day, vacation, FMLA leave or other authorized leave policies, the Employee will be charged with an unexcused absence. In the event an Employee accumulates unexcused absences within a fiscal year, the following disciplinary actions shall be implemented against the Employee as follows:

2^nd Unexcused Absence in a fiscal year	Verbal Counseling
3^rd Unexcused Absence in a fiscal year	Written Reprimand
4^th Unexcused Absence in a fiscal year	Final Written Warning
5^th Unexcused Absence in a fiscal year	Disciplinary proceedings, up to and including termination, will be initiated

Failure to Report to Work

Any Employee who fails to report to work and also fails to personally notify his/her immediate supervisor and the substitute office will be given a written warning in addition to being given an unexcused absence as set forth above. Any Employee who receives a second “failure to report to work” within the same fiscal year will be subject to a final written warning in addition to receiving an unexcused absence as set forth above. Any Employee who receives a third “failure to report to work” within the same fiscal year will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Abandonment of Position

Any employee who fails to report for work on three (3) consecutive working days and who has failed to personally notify his/her immediate supervisor shall be presumed to have abandoned his/her position with the District, and the District shall have no obligation to pay or provide benefits to such an employee thereafter.

The Human Resources Department will notify the employee through registered mail that his/her failure to report to work or provide notification of the absence to his/her immediate supervisor has provided cause for the immediate termination of his/her employment with the Board, and, therefore, the employee’s termination will be recommended to the Board.

The Human Resources Department shall proceed to process the termination of any employee who does not respond within three (3) calendar days of the date of the notification letter. If the employee does timely respond, the District will consider the employee’s reason(s) for his/her action(s) or inaction, and employee will be entitled to such due process as may be required by law. This provision shall be interpreted consistently with Missouri law.

Revised: August 9, 2012

Regulation 4610.1 approved: February 25, 2010

Policy 4860 approved: March 12, 2009

[1] “Professionals” in this Policy include, but are not limited to nurses.

[2] This Policy applies to all certificated staff and professionals whose primary work assignment is to a school or schools. Individuals employed in a building level administrator, director level or above capacity are exempt from this Policy.

[3] For the purposes of this Policy, “fiscal year” shall mean and shall refer to the St. Louis Public Schools fiscal year, which begins on the first day of July and ends on the thirtieth day of June each year.

[4] As regular attendance is an essential job function, Employees with excessive excused absences may be subject to negative performance evaluation based upon the circumstances involved.