School board approves covid-19 leave for employees

School employees will have 10 days of paid covid-19 leave if they become sick or have to quarantine because of the virus this semester.

School board members passed a covid-19 policy during their meeting on Thursday. It will be retroactive through the beginning of the semester on Jan. 4 and will apply to all employees, including teachers and classified staff members, according to Superintendent Jody Wiggins.

The policy means employees who have tested positive for covid-19, who are experiencing symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis, who are quarantining, or who are caring for a dependent who is quarantining or isolating, will not have to use their sick time or personal time until the 10 days of covid-19 leave is exhausted, according to the document.

During the fall semester, school employees had up to 10 days of federal leave, which was paid by the district, and up to 10 days of state leave, which was reimbursed by state funds. Those policies ended on Dec. 31, Wiggins said.

The state received funds through the stimulus act passed in December and has given the money to school districts to use for covid-19 related expenses, he said. Siloam Springs will be setting aside some of the money to use for covid-19 leave during the spring semester, he said.

In the fall, teachers who tested positive were encouraged to focus on getting well, but teachers who were quarantining after being identified as a probable close contact were given the option to continue teaching from home without having to use leave or sick days, Wiggins said.

Teachers will still be allowed to choose to teach remotely while they are quarantining and a substitute will be hired to supervise the students in their classrooms, he said.

The school covid-19 leave policy will expire when or if a federal or state covid leave becomes effective, the policy states.

In other business, Assistant Superintendent Shane Patrick announced that school employees will begin receiving covid-19 vaccinations this week. Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced on Tuesday that Phase 1-B will begin Monday, which will include school workers and people over age 70, according to a report in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The vaccines will be available to any of the approximately 680 staff members who work for the school district, including

classified and certified employees, as well as staff members who are contracted from outside sources, such as physical and occupational therapists, and night custodians, Patrick said.

The district sent out a survey asking employees if they wanted the vaccine, Patrick said. The survey had a 96 percent response rate and 55 percent of employees said they would like to have the vaccine right now. If staff members choose not to take the vaccine at the current time, they will be able to change their minds and take it at a later time, he said.

The school district is working with the Siloam Springs Regional Hospital to come up with a plan for vaccinating employees, Patrick said. The school hopes to offer a vaccination clinic for employees on Wednesday or Thursday so that staff members can get their second dose of the vaccine during the flex-day already scheduled for Feb. 12, he said.

School district nurses will be administering the vaccines under the supervision of hospital employees, he said. It is still unclear whether the district employees will receive the Moderna or the Pfizer vaccine, Patrick said.