Human Resources FAQs

Fill out an accident report.  Physical forms may be found in the nurse’s office and/or in the main office.  Visit a doctor if needed, and notify Wendy Simmons, HR Secretary, immediately.  Keep your principal, HR, and union president updated if you need to be out of work.

• Obtain a note from your doctor stating how long you are required to be out of work, including an anticipated return date.  Ensure HR is provided a copy of the note (via fax, mail, or hand-delivery.) Notify your principal, HR, and union president.

• You may be entitled to job protection under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).  HR will notify you of your eligibility and will provide you with paperwork that will need to be completed by both you and your physician.

• FMLA is not necessarily paid leave; however, you may use your own sick leave and/or personal time concurrently with FMLA in order to maintain your pay. 

• While on FMLA, your health insurance premium will continue to be paid by the District at 92%. You will continue to be responsible for your 8% premium contribution, whether your leave is paid or unpaid. If FMLA expires and you have run out of sick time, you will be required to apply for COBRA (which means you would be responsible for 102% of the premium) or find alternative healthcare.

• If the extended period of time is due to (your own) illness, you may apply to the sick bank. Requests to do so should be sent to Wendy Simmons.

• If you have exhausted all time off accruals (and/or sick bank), you will be in Leave Without Pay status (LWOP).  

  • You will need to follow the Superintendent Time Request Approval Procedure and complete a Superintendent Time Request Approval Form. 

  • If you will be in LWOP status for more than five days, approval will go through the Board of Education.

• Refer to the IRCSD Sick and Personal Leave Procedure

• IREA, CSEA Aide, and Secretarial Staff: Put your absence into the Frontline Absence Management System (formerly known as AESOP). If it is an unexpected absence and close to the start of the workday, contact your building Principal and/or building Secretary.

• CSEA - Food Service:  

  1. 1. 1. 1. • Call the Food Service department as soon as possible (315-642-1250).

              • If you are unable to get in touch with someone in the office, call the Cook Manager (315-486-9232).

              • Call the Lead Food Service Worker of the building that you are in.

              • You must make verbal contact with either the Food Service office staff or the Lead FSW.

• CSEA - B&G:

  1. 1. 1. 1. •  First Shift - Enter your absence in Frontline Absence Management, then call your direct supervisor.

              • If you do not make verbal contact with your supervisor, leave a message, then call the Maintenance and Operations Manager and/or the Director of Facilities.

              • If you do not make verbal contact with the Maintenance and Operations Manager and/or the Director of Facilities, leave a message and call the B&G office between 6:30am and 4:00pm (315-642-0338).

              • Second or Third shift - Enter your absence in Frontline Absence Management, then call the Senior Custodian of the building you work in.

              • If you do not make contact with the Senior Custodian, leave a message, then call Linda Dimon or Shelley Aldrich between 6:30am and 4:00pm (315-642-0338).

• CSEA - Maintenance: 

  1. 1. 1. 1. • Enter your absence in Frontline Absence Management, then call the B&G office (315-642-0338).

              • If you do not make verbal contact, leave a message and call your immediate supervisor.

• If the sickness extends to three days or more, you may be required to provide a physician's note.

• All cancer screening absences require documentation from a physician’s office.

• Please refer to your contract and/or handbook for any questions regarding personal leave.

Congratulations! Below are steps to be taken when expecting a baby...

• You will need to provide a note to Human Resources from your physician with an expected due date.

• Anna Archer-Runge will send you FMLA paperwork for completion upon receipt of a physician's note.

• You may submit a request to use sick bank (via email or written request to Wendy Simmons) if it should become necessary (you must use all accumulated sick days).

• If your expected date is early September, your request for sick bank  should be sent to Wendy Simmons by early August.

• You may make recommendations about a preferred long-term substitute to your principal. They will contact the district office to make the appropriate arrangements.

• If you have district health and/or dental insurance, and would like to to add your newborn to your plan(s), you must notify Human Resources within 30 days of your baby's birth. If you do not notify the district, you will have to wait until open enrollment (June 1-30) to add your child to your health insurance plan.

• If you have further questions, feel free to contact Human Resources at the District Office (ext. 11267).

• Send a picture of your baby, name, weight, birthdate to Anna Archer-Runge for inclusion in the HR Newsletter! (Optional, but thoroughly enjoyed by all!)

• Who is covered under Federal and State law?

• Under federal law, Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), employers are required to provide reasonable break time for a non-exempt employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child’s birth “each time such employee has need to express the milk.” In addition, the state law allows a nursing mother to take break time to pump breast milk at work for up to three years following the birth of her child.

• How often and for what length of time must a district provide a break for an employee to pump?

• A district must provide employees who are nursing mothers reasonable unpaid break time to pump, which Labor Department guidelines suggest would be at least twenty minutes for each break.  The guidelines suggest that, in most circumstances, employees should be allowed to take a break at least once every three hours to pump.

• Indian River will make reasonable efforts to work with the employee to provide these breaks.  Some practical solutions may include allowing the employee to pump during their lunch or planning period, or finding coverage for teachers who must pump during class or meeting times.

• Are districts required to pay employees for these breaks?

• No, districts are not required to pay employees who are nursing mothers for the break time they take to pump breast milk.  Employees may choose to use their regular paid break or meal time to pump, or they may add on a pumping break before or after a paid break.  However, a district is not permitted to deduct time spent pumping from an employee’s regular paid break or meal time.  The district must also permit employees who are nursing mothers to make up break time by working before or after their normal shifts, so long as that time falls within the district’s normal work hours.

• Notice

• Employees who wish to pump breast milk at work must notify their employer in advance, preferably before they return to work from maternity leave. Supervisors and/or Principals will work with the employee to decide on an appropriate schedule.

• You will need to provide a note to the Human Resources office from the doctor  with an expected due date.

• Write to the Director of Human Resources addressing the approximate due date and how much time you believe you will need off.

• You will be sent FMLA paperwork for completion upon receipt of a physician's note, should you plan to take an extended leave.
  Of Note: If your spouse is also an employee with IRCSD, the TOTAL FMLA time is 12 weeks.
  i.e.., your spouse may need 6 weeks off of work for a vaginal birth, which means you would be entitled to 6 weeks of FMLA; your spouse may need 8 weeks off of work for a cesarean section, which means you would be entitled to 4 weeks of FMLA.

• You may make recommendations about a preferred long-term substitute to your principal. They will contact the district office to make the appropriate arrangements.

• If you have district health insurance, you must notify Human Resources within 30 days of your baby's birth.  If you do not notify the district, you will have to wait until open enrollment (June 1-30) to add your newborn child to your health insurance plan.

• If you have further questions, feel free to contact Human Resources at ext 11267.

• Send a picture of your baby, name, weight, birthdate to Anna Archer-Runge for inclusion in the HR Newsletter! (Optional, but thoroughly enjoyed by all!)

Contact your building administrator (and/or building secretary). Follow the Superintendent Time Request Approval Procedure and submit a Superintendent Time Request Approval Form (STRAF) 

If you are experiencing a medical condition that will require you to be out for a long period of time, whether intermittently or continuously, you may request additional sick days through the sick bank (a written request should be submitted to Wendy Simmons) if you participate.

Attendance at work is very important.  When you are not here, the district must find a substitute. Often, substitutes may not be as experienced or as well-trained as you are.  The cost associated with hiring substitutes is significant. Your frequent absences also interfere with your supervisor’s ability to appropriately evaluate your work.  Attendance at work is an essential element of your position and the employment relationship, and ultimately, for the smooth operation of the school learning environment. Most importantly, students are impacted when you are not at work.  It is important for all of us to model good attendance practices for students.  We expect them to come to school; we should do the same.

We encourage you to save your sick days in the future so that you have a cushion if you ever become seriously ill. It is recommended that you save at least 4 sick days per year. Indian River Central School District has reason to expect their employees to observe a standard of conduct that will not reflect discredit on the abilities and integrity of their employees, or create suspicion with reference to their employees’ capability in discharging their duties and responsibilities.  Unacceptable attendances may cause us to conclude that you are not meeting a reasonable standard of performance as an employee of Indian River, thus you may subject you to formal disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

IRCSD Sick and Personal Leave Procedure

Vacation requests may be submitted via the Frontline Absence Management System (formerly known as AESOP).

CSEA staff members are required to submit vacation requests with twenty (20) days prior notice. Employees will receive an answer within ten (10) business days of submission. All vacations will be subject to the availability of staff to maintain essential operations.

Sometimes leave without pay may be necessary for approved extended absences.  

In the event that leave without pay is needed:

• Follow the Superintendent Time Request Approval Procedure and submit a Superintendent Time Request Approval Form (STRAF) 

If an employee has elected the '25 pay' option and is in leave without pay status for an extended period of time, the District may (upon written request) be able to deduct pay from the large check. However, there are occasions during which the timing of the leave of absence may prohibit that, depending on whether or not the employee has earned enough salary to date (if your leave is early in the year, you may not have enough money set aside toward your big check to allow this, as the District will not pay you money you haven’t earned yet, in case you are unable to return to work).  

If days are taken intermittently without pay, the District is unable to take pay for these days from the large check. Unfortunately, doing so for intermittent leave is not feasible as it not affects payroll, but reporting to TRS and ERS. 

Examples: 

Teacher A is due to have a baby in April.  She will need to go 5 days without pay before her sick bank days kick in.  She requests, in writing, to have her five days taken out of her big check. This is allowed because (1) she has requested it in writing and (2) because it’s April, the District has enough money set aside toward her big check to cover the five days.

Teacher B is due to have a baby in April and will need to go 5 days without pay before her sick bank kicks in.  She does not request that these days come out of her big check.  These days will be deducted from the next payroll period.

Teacher C is due to have a baby in April and will need to go 5 days without pay before her sick bank kicks in.  She has her pay taken out of 21 pays, so the big check doesn’t apply.  These days will come out of the next payroll period.

Teacher D is due to have a baby in October and she will have to go 5 days without pay before sick bank kicks in.  She requests to have her days taken out of the big check.   (There would not be enough accrued earnings to cover this, so the pay would be deducted from the next payroll.)   * Call Kim Patterson to see if you have enough accrued earnings if you aren’t sure.

Teacher E has complications and requests a second application of days from the sick bank.  She does not formally request to have any unpaid days taken out of her big check because she already did that when she requested the original sick bank days.  These days won’t be deducted from her big check because there wasn’t a request made in writing to do so.

In summary,

• Multiple days without pay, that occur late enough in the year to allow for it, may be deducted from the big check ONLY if a request is made in writing. To make a request, email Human Resources.

• Intermittent days without pay will be taken from the pay period in which they occur. 

• Each round of days without pay must be addressed separately.  A request for one group of days is not automatically applied to another group of days.

• During a day without pay, you will not be accumulating seniority nor time toward probation or tenure. Your projected tenure date or probationary period will be extended by the number of days you have taken without pay.

• If your paid leave time is exhausted prior to the end of your FMLA covered leave, you will take your leave on an unpaid basis.

• If you participate in the district’s health insurance plan, and want to continue it during your unpaid leave, you will be offered COBRA, at a rate of 102%, beginning the next full month following the last day of paid employment.

IRCSD Sick and Personal Leave Procedure

Apply on TEACH for your professional certification OR an extension. 

For questions, you may contact the regional certification officer at BOCES (currently Jason Ring - jring@boces.com) or the IREA Certification Chair, Tyler Brown.

Before the course begins, log into Frontline Professional Growth (formerly My Learning Plan or MLP) to submit a request for approval. 

On the left side menu,  select Forms >  Fill-in Forms > Salary Credit Request Form. 

Fill the request form out completely and submit it to the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.

The Assistant Superintendent will review the request. Employees may be asked to provide additional information. 

Once approved, at the end of the semester, official college transcripts verifying successful course completion must be submitted to the District Office by October 15 for additional remuneration in the first semester and by February 15 for additional remuneration to begin in the second semester.

To check your registration, log into your TEACH account.  On the homepage (under registration information), you will see when your registration is going to expire. Ensure you register before the current registration period is up.

After each professional development, print off your certificate (on paper or pdf form) and keep a folder with those documents in it for eight years from the start of your professional certification or your renewal date.  The state can require evidence of your 100 hours for up to three years after your renewal date. 

Conference requests are submitted through Frontline Professional Growth (formerly My Learning Plan or MLP).

After discussing the conference with your building administrator, log into Frontline Professional Growth (formerly My Learning Plan or MLP) to submit a request for approval. 

On the left side menu,  select Forms >  Fill-in Forms > Conference Request Form.

Fill the request form out completely, estimate expenditures (including the cost of conference, hotel, mileage, food, tolls, and parking) and submit it. The form will go to your supervisor, building administrator, and the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for approval. Employees may be asked to provide additional information. 

If approved and upon return, scan copies of all of the receipts and save them in a known folder. 

Log back into Professional Growth. On the left side menu, click on Learning Plan, then “manage” in front of the appropriate conference. 

Under Actions, select the "Mark Complete"  option and attach your scanned receipts. Once the form has been submitted, the receipts will go to the Business Office.  

Reimbursements are issued through the Accounts Payable office, in a check separate from payroll.

If the mileage is part of a conference request, see “How do I sign up for conferences?”. 

If the mileage is part of your position, keep a log of your mileage [Date, to, from, mileage] and complete a requisition form (hard copy) found in the schools office. Have the form signed by your supervisor and then submit to the Senior Account Clerk in the District Office (currently Ty Hairston). 

Reimbursements are issued through the Accounts Payable office, in a check separate from payroll.

Email Human Resources (hr@ircsd.org).

• Talk to your principal and your union president.

• Run the club for a year, keeping track of meeting dates, minutes, student officers (secretary, treasurer, president, vice-president), student attendance, and all club activities.  

• Provide this information to your union president and your building administrator. They will work with the District Office to create an MOA, to be approved by Executive Council and the Board of Education for approval. 

Check your pay stub. If you have questions, contact our account clerk (currently Kim Patterson) in Payroll.

When you see the posting available on the HR website,

• CSEA: Fill out an internal application within Frontline Recruiting.

• IREA: Fill out a transfer request form and have it signed by your principal. Complete an internal application within Frontline Recruiting and upload the transfer request form therein.

Speak with your mentor or your building union representative for advice. Approach your coworker if possible. If the problem persists, you may need to address it with your principal or supervisor.

Speak with your mentor or your building union representative for advice. If necessary, follow up with Human Resources.

Teachers: Check to see if the student is being monitored through MTSS, AIS, PPS. If the student is new, check their records to see if similar issues were noted in the previous school. Talk with the guidance counselor and follow the process for referral to MTSS.

Others: Let the student’s teacher or guidance counselor know you are concerned. All other information is confidential.

If you are leaving Indian River you need to:

• Ensure you send an email/letter to the Superintendent and the Director of Human Resources letting them know your intention - resignation or retirement and expected exit date

• Turn in your key, ID badge, and any other school property to the building secretary

• Turn in any technology you have in your room to IT

• Complete the Employee Exit Survey.  We believe that your feedback is of vital importance and will assist Indian River Central School District in analyzing our employee retention and turnover.

Check the Payroll Schedule for the current school year. This is available on the HR Forms website.

IRCSD employee benefits for qualifying members are listed on the HR website under IRCSD Benefits.  To find out about IREA or CSEA benefits, speak to your mentor or building representative. Benefit related questions may also be directed to the Personnel Specialist (currently Brianna Daniels).

To start 403B or 457B Contributions, employees must complete a Salary Reduction Agreement Form. This is done electronically through the OMNI website. Select the Employer State, then start typing Indian River CSD in the Employer Name field. Forms will then be available for completion and submission. OMNI will notify IRCSD of new enrollments.

For qualifying members, the open enrollment period is the month of June each year. At this time, any employee who would like to enroll must complete the appropriate enrollment form(s) and return them to Human Resources.

Payroll deductions for the insurance will start the first pay period in September.

If you have a qualifying event (i.e., baby, divorce, marriage) or if you have been newly hired, you have 30 days to enroll or make changes.

• Pay stubs are emailed to you each pay period, unless other arrangements have been requested. 

See the IRCSD.ORG/HR page for Benefit Information. You can also call Human Resources (11264).

Health Insurance:

• • Jefferson Lewis et.al. School Districts Health Care Plan 

  • Contact Brendan Higgins: info@jefflewishealth.com or 315-686-2615

  • Meritain Health: 1-800-925-2272. You may also visit their website for inquiries regarding eligibility, claims, and plan benefits.
    
    

Dental:

• ENV Call Center 1-800-887-9146

• Ameritas Website 

• Of note: Using in-network dentists will result in no co-pays for normal preventative visits. If you are not seeing an in-network dentist or orthodontist, please go to this link to nominate a provider. Ameritas will then reach out to the nominated provider and encourage them to come in-network.

CSEA Full-time Union Members have the benefit of course reimbursement for continuing their education as long as the course is directly related to the member’s job assignment. Members are encouraged to upgrade their skills through educational opportunities offered through IRCSD, Jefferson-Lewis BOCES Adult Education Programs, and undergraduate courses via the SUNY system and other accredited colleges and universities. The District will reimburse the cost of tuition, books, and required materials to attend such courses where prior approval is granted, the member successfully completed the course, and the course is directly related to the member’s job assignment. Attendance at the course or program shall require the prior approval of the Supervisor and the Human Resources Director on the CSEA Course Approval Form found on the www.ircsd.org/hr HR Forms Website. The employee must provide evidence of payment, attendance, and successful completion of the course with a grade of “C” or higher. 

• Talk with your union president or vice president. 

• Call your retirement system and get a quote from them. 

• Go to a retirement information seminar. 

• Complete the Retirement Ticket.

• Reach out to the Personnel Specialist in Human Resources (extension 11264).

Check your Collective Bargaining Agreement. This changes with each contract. Please reach out to your union president or vice president if you have questions about the contract. 

Reach out to your retirement system, they will let you know exactly what you need to do to buy back time. 

See the IRCSD.ORG/HR page for Benefit Information. You may also call Human Resources ext. 11264.

Call Anna Archer-Runge at 315-642-3441.

Call Anna Archer-Runge at 315-642-3441.