No more extra sick days for HISD workers

Houston ISD employees no longer will have extra sick days should they contract COVID-19 during the upcoming school year, district officials said this week.

Trustees approved up to 10 additional paid leave days last school year. During the same meeting, they approved offering $500 stipends to employees who showed proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID. The stipend program ended in early December with most employees being fully vaccinated.

The paid sick leave will not be offered after Aug. 1, according to a note sent to staffers earlier this week. Employees were told they “must use available leave time for” absences and should not report to work if sick.

“HISD employees are encouraged to take advantage of available testing and vaccinations as a precaution against the virus,” district officials said in a statement Wednesday.

“Employees may still use available leave and should not report to work when ill.”

In a follow-up, the district added there was “no plan to request that the board extend the COVID-19 paid sick leave policy.”

Meanwhile, COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Houston area have nearly doubled over the last month, according to Texas Medical Center data.

The increase has coincided with the rise of a new subvariant, BA.5, that has became the dominant strain in the country.

HISD, one of the largest employers in the region, has some 27,000 full- and part-time employees. District officials currently are hiring for a variety of roles, according to a career portal that shows more than 800 listings for certified teachers, as well as one for a chief financial officer.