To: Principals, Managers & Administrators

To: Principals, Managers & Administrators

From: André N. Pettigrew, Assistant Superintendent Administrative Services

Richard Allen, Assistant Superintendent of Budget and Finance

Date: September 21, 2005

RE: Abuse of Sick Leave

All District managers/administrators are expected to promptly address matters related to employee abuse of sick leave.

In November of 2004, the Legal Services Department distributed a memorandum outlining the proper usage of sick leave. It has come to our attention that some departments are allowing employees to utilize accumulated sick days as additional vacation days in the year preceding their announced retirement.

This is a reminder that sick leave is intended for personal illness (and, in some cases, such bases set forth in certain collective bargaining agreements). Sick leave is under no circumstances to be utilized to extend an employee’s vacation time or bridge retirement.

If you believe that an employee is misusing sick leave, e.g., a consistent pattern of taking sick leave before or after weekends, holidays or personal days, or paydays, you should meet with the employee, discuss the concern, and impose appropriate corrective action pursuant to contract/Board policy if warranted.

In addition, you may choose to issue a written directive that the employee provide a written note from his/her physician or other licensed practitioner certifying that the employee was incapacitated for duty by either illness or injury (or, if applicable, that the employee’s family member was ill). You should advise the employee that failure to furnish the note may result in further corrective action up to and including dismissal of employment. (Upon receiving such notes, treat them as confidential medical information, and segregate them from other employee records).

Starting immediately, the Payroll and Human Resources Departments will investigate excessive sick day utilization and report anomalies to the appropriate administrative body.

If you have any questions, please call your Human Resources Director.

c: Cabinet Members

Human Resources Department

Denver Public Schools Communications Office

900 Grant Street • Room 110 • Denver, CO 80203