06:10:10 Faculty Sick Leave Procedures

Purpose

To provide a guideline for faculty’s use of sick leave.

Policy

Sick leave is intended to meet the legitimate health needs of employees who are absent from the work place due to illness. Faculty, even though their work assignments often require variable schedules both day and evening as well as assignments which include a wide variety of activities - classes, office hours, committee assignments, research in laboratories and libraries, etc. - are, nevertheless, subject to sick leave policy in a very specific and direct way. The charging of sick leave for time away from work by a faculty member due to legitimate health reasons is not a penalty; sick leave was instituted by the Tennessee Board of Regents to cover just such absences. It is the responsibility of each faculty member to report sick leave to the appropriate authority. See WSCC Policy No. 06:10:02  for detailed policy guidance on sick leave.

As a general guideline, all faculty have responsibilities Monday through Friday for a minimum of 37.5 hours of any week in which the institution is in session. Any day-long absence during the regular work week due to illness should be charged to the faculty member as sick leave at the rate of 7.5 hours per day. Arrangements to cover a class either by the faculty member or the institution do not mitigate the fact that the faculty member was away from work assignment for part of a day, the faculty member should discuss the appropriate sick leave time to be charged with the dean, or department head of his/her division. 10/13; 1/15; 05/16