TABLE OF CONTENTS
General Statement about Our Employee HandbookForward / 4-6
SECTION I: GENERAL INFORMATION
Tekoa Charter School History
Vision
Mission
Philosophical Tenets / 6-7
8
8
8
8
Student Affirmation / 9
Motto / 9
Slogan / 9
Americanism / 9
SECTION II: ETHICS and CONDUCT / 9 – 18
Equal Opportunity*
Conduct and Welfare / 9
10
Requirement to Report to SBEC
Code of Ethics / 10
Complaints/Grievances / 10-11
Freedom from Retaliation / 11
Whistleblower Complaints / 11
General Provisions Consolidation / 11
Initiating Grievance-Levels 1-3 / 11-12
Harassment / Sexual Harassment / 12-13
Other Prohibited Harassment/ Reporting Procedure / Timely Reporting / 13
Notification of Report/ Confidentiality / 13
Investigation of Report / 14
Harassment of Students / 14
Concluding the Investigation / 14
School Action / 14
Appeal / 14
Retaliation Prohibition / 14
Access to Policy
Investigation*
Complaints* / 15
15
15
Harassment of Students by an Employee / 15
Sexual Harassment by an Employee / 15
By Others / 15
Other Prohibited Harassment / 15
Reporting Procedures / 16
Timely Reporting / Notification of report / Notice to Parents / 16
Confidentiality / 16-17
Investigation*
Complaints*
Investigation of the report / 17
17
17
School Action / 18
Appeal / 18
Retaliation Prohibited / 18
Records Retention / 18
Access to Policy / 18
Reporting Child Abuse / 18
Section III Employment Policies / 18-24
Hiring Practices and Criminal Background Checks*
New Hires/ Compliance*
Substitute Employment
Orientation
Maintenance of Effort (MOE)
Discriminating in Hiring & At-Will Employment / 18
18
18
19
19
19
Recruitment / 19
Posting Job Vacancies*
Verification of Eligibility for Employment / 19
19
Background Checks / 20
Probationary Period
Immediate Termination / 20
20
Tuberculosis Test / 20
Discrimination in the Workplace / 20
Attendance and Tardiness / 20
Tardy/Absence Probation / 21
Leaving the Campus during Academy Hours / 21
Emergency Absence / Absences (Gold Bar) / 21
Absences for Personal Appointments / 21
Extended Absences/Abandonment*
Personal (State Days) / Bereavement Days / 21
21-22
Jury Duty / 22
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) / 22
Basic Leave Entitlement / 22
Military Family Leave Entitlement / 22
Personnel Records/Confidentiality of Personnel Files / 22
References and Employment Information / 22
Outside Employment / 22
Resignation / 23
Involuntary Termination / 23
Drug-Free Policy*
Notification*
Searches and Alcohol and Drug Testing / 23
23
23
Immunities*
Exhaustion of Administrative Claims
Written Notice of Legal Claims
Commercial Drivers’ Licenses (CDL) / 24
24
24
24
Section IV Policy and Guidelines on Infectious Illnesses
Expectation to Report Illness / 24
Section V Safety / 24
Workplace Safety / Work Related Injuries / 25
Possession of Firearms and Weapons / 25
Use of Seatbelts in School Vehicles / 25
Notice of Pest Control / 25
Section VI: Emergency Plans and Drills / 25
Fire and Disaster / 25
Inclement Weather Days / 25
Section VII: Conflict of Interest / 26
Training of Campus Administrative Officers and Business Managers*
Political Activity / 26
26
Public Relations/Media
Confidentiality of Student and Parent Information / 26
26
Section VIII: Salary, Wage and Benefits Information / 26
Salary and Wages / 27
Work Days / 27
Overtime Pay / 27
Payroll Information
Sign In/Sign Out / 27
27
Time Sheets / 27
Pay Advances / 27
Bonus Payments*
Wage Overpayment/ Underpayment*
Employee Benefits Eligibility / 28
28
28
Enrollment information for Benefits/ Compensation and Benefits / 28-29
Workers Compensation Insurance / 29
Health, Dental, and Life Insurance / 29
Section IX: Employee Leave / 29
Educational Staff and Food Service
Administrators and Maintenance Personnel / 29
29
Disability Leave / 29-30
Medical Leave / 30
Family Care Leave / 30
Leave taken Intermittently / 30
Status of Benefits under Leave Granted / 30
Section X: Dress Code / 30-31
Section XI: Personnel Policy / 31
School Protocol / 31
Staff Parking / 31
Telephone Use / Emergency Phone Calls / 31
Submitting Request / 31
Purchasing Supplies and Inventory / Work Orders / 31
Performance Considerations / 31
Misconduct
Non-Fraternization Policy
Timely Completion of Assignments and Summaries / 32
32
Handling School Funds and Reimbursements* / 32
Food and Lodging Expenses
Other Expenses
Expense Reports / 32
33
33
Section XII: Technology Policies / 33
Section XIII: Policy and Procedures Regarding Students / 33
Privacy of Records / 33
Title I Program / 34
Clubs/Organizations and Procedures / 34
Bullying / 34
Cyberbullying
Suicide Prevention
Employee use of Social Media / 34
34
34-40
General Statement about Our Employee Handbook
The Tekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies STEM School Employee Handbook is designed as a reference and is updated annually. The content of this handbook is not meant to be an exclusive and exhaustive statement of the rights, benefits, duties, or obligations of our employees. It is not intended to be nor should it be construed to be a contract of employment but will be used as an agreement and a guide. We suggest you become familiar with the contents of this handbook.
This handbook is subject to revision, clarification, or repeal at the discretion of the CEO and the Board of Directors, of Tekoa Charter School, Inc. After our Board of Directors have adopted a new policy, you will receive a copy of the new policy to be inserted into the existing board approved policy or a copy of the revised handbook as the information develops.
Each employee is required to acknowledge receipt of this handbook. Your signature indicates that you have received a copy of the handbook, have read it, understood its contents and agree to follow all policies and procedures. At the bottom of this page, please sign your name and indicate the date.
A signed copy will be given to the employee.
Name of Employee______Position ______
Signature of Employee ______Date ______
Human Resource Representative Signature ______Date ______
2017-2018
Instructional Work Days per month:
September 21
October 24
November 17
December 14
January 18
February 22
March 16
April 22
May 21
Total Instructional Days-175
Saturday Instructional Days 2017-2018
September 9th & 23rd
October 7th & 14th
November 4th
February 3rd & 10th
March 3rd
April 7th
Total Saturday Instructional Days-9
Staff Development Days/Student Holidays
September 1st
January 3rd, 4th, 5th
March 19th
May 4th
Total Staff Development/Student Holidays-6
A Forward
Every single individual who works at Tekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies STEM School has the responsibility to believe, to teach, to lead, to inspire, to achieve and then to look straight at our success and say, “We can do better.” When we believe that every child deserves a world-class education, we teach. When we teach, we lead and when we lead, we inspire. When we fuse strong leadership with inspiration, we continually challenge ourselves, we challenge our students, and we challenge our parents, our immediate community and everyone who has ever said that 100% is not possible. We can and we will achieve. Like runners, we are committed to the entire duration of the race. We adopt the mantra “PRD” and remind ourselves that we are Productive, We are Resilient, and We are Determined. PRD defines every day at Tekoa.
This is not easy. This requires hard work. This requires passion and flexibility. We won’t try to disguise the reality of the challenges in front of us as educators. Instead, we embrace the hard facts that some of our students come to us far behind grade level and that they face enormous obstacles. Some of our students come with substantial socioeconomic hardships. We cannot make or allow excuses and we cannot waste time searching for shortcuts. We take personal responsibility for our outcomes and we approach every day and each instructional minute with contagious sense of urgency and enthusiasm. We know that we are the solution.
We approach our work with meticulous attention to detail and we sweat the small stuff. We think through everything to maximize every second in our buildings and increase our chances of success. We commit to executing these policies and practices with precision. Most importantly, we commit to having fun. We love what we do; we take time to laugh, to support each other, to take care of ourselves, and to find balance to ensure we maintain the incredible energy necessary to achieve greatness. We are solution oriented, and never settle for less than the best. This is what our students deserve and we couldn’t imagine any other line of work that is more meaningful. We Are Educators; We Change Lives. WE ARE TEKOA!
Thank you Dr. Don Sodman!
Your CEO
Paula Richardson, Ph.D.
SECTION I: GENERAL INFORMATION
Tekoa Charter School History
Tekoa Charter School, Inc. was a divine inspiration given to our Founder/CEO Dr. Paula Richardson October of 1997. Tekoa came from the Holy Bible in the Old Testament Book of Amos. Dr. Richardson was embraced and supported by the Port Arthur community to open the charter school.
Tekoa Charter School, Inc. dba Tekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies STEM School became a certified open enrollment public charter school on May 1, 1999. The Texas Education Agency deemed the approval of the Academy to give parents and students in the South County Community in Southeast Texas an opportunity to have a choice in public education. The Academy opened August 16, 1999 with grades K – 6th..
In 2001, the Texas Education Agency approved the Academy to expand grade levels to Pre-k 3 and 4 year olds through the 12th grade. In 2003, the Academy received status of academically accepted and was approved a ten-year recertification. The Academy curriculum has aligned grades K – 102th differentiating the curriculum using an Interdisciplinary Thematic Approach. In 2014 – 2015, we graduated our 7th class of high school seniors.
Vision Statement
Tekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies STEM School will be recognized as a national model of program excellence with an emphasis on innovative and diverse curricula, equipping students with competitive knowledge and skills base for future successes in the 21st Century and beyond.
Mission Statement
The Mission of Tekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies STEM School is to create a safe, positive, sustainable and competitive milieu that provides all students and the greater learning community with maximum and diverse opportunities for success.
Philosophical Tenets
(1)Languages are the vehicle of thought. As such, at least a moderate control oftheapplicable language, with an explicit attention to the grammar, is necessary forthe blossoming of formal learning.
(2)Knowledge has hierarchical or taxonomic features in all disciplines. In science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) these features coalesce into a rigid, multi-branched hierarchical or taxonomic structure very similar to a tree. To get to the tip of any “branchette,” one has to necessarily pass by (i.e., know) every one of the lower and large branches supporting it and the common trunk – irrespective of intellectual quotient (IQ), gender, ethnicity, culture, hair style or tie color.
(3)The power law of human performance and its extension, the law of human performance [1-2], emphatically state that, unless someone is suffering from a very severe physiological or mental impairment, that person can attain any level of proficiency or expertise in performing physical (athletic), artistic (aesthetic), intellectual (cognitive) endeavors through sustained practice of increasing sophistication. Note well that for intellectual endeavors, reaching the tip of a “branchette” demands starting at the ground level and climbing the trunk and the successive branches supporting that “branchette”.
(4)The assertions in (3) above were borne out by longitudinal studies by Clifford Adelman [3-4]. These studies left no doubt about the utter importance of pre-college preparation, particularly in mathematics, for college success. With the law of human performance and the taxonomic structure of knowledge in STEM disciplines, this importance goes far beyond correlation to partly be causation.
Student Affirmation:
I AM A STUDENT OF EXCELLENCE AT TEKOA ACADEMY.
I AM WHAT I SAY I AM.
I AM MORE THAN A CONQUEROR
I AM ABOVE AND NOT BENEATH.
I AM THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL.
I AM A LEADER NOT A FOLLOWER.
AND
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.
Tekoa Academy’s Motto:
EVERY CHILD WILL LEARN…
EVERY TEACHER WILL TEACH…
EVERY PARENT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE!!!!
Academy’s Slogan:
BRIDGING THE GAP IN EDUCATION AND
SOARING TOWARDS ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE!
A PUBLIC SCHOOL WITH PRIVATE SCHOOL ACCESS
A SCHOOL UNUSUAL
Americanism
Tekoa Charter School, Inc., dba, Tekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies STEM School is dedicated to the teaching of Americanism throughout the entire curriculum. An important part of the Americanism program is teaching the responsibilities, duties, and obligations of a citizen under our constitutional government. Respect for our flag, and respect for the property and person of others.
SECTION II: ETHICS AND CONDUCT – Title 19, Part 7, Chapter 247, Rule 247.2
600.020 Equal Opportunity
The governing body ofTekoa Academy of Accelerated Studies Stem School adopts the following policy which shall be effective on the date that the policy is adopted by the board.
Employee Conduct and Welfare
All employees are expected to work together in a cooperative spirit to serve the best interests of the academy and to be courteous to students, one another, and the public. Employees are expected to observe the following standards of conduct:
oRecognize and respect the rights of students, parents, other employees, and members of the community.
oMaintain confidentiality in all matters relating to students, parents and school records.
oReport to work according to the assigned schedule.
oNotify your immediate supervisor in advance or as early as possible in the event that they must be absent or late. Unauthorized absences, excessive absenteeism/tardiness, and failure to follow procedures for reporting an absence may be cause for disciplinary action.
oRead and comply with Office and school policies and procedures.
oExpress concerns or complaints through appropriate protocol.
oObserve all safety rules and regulations and report injuries or unsafe conditions to a supervisor immediately.
oUse school time, funds, and property for authorized school business ONLY.
All school employees should perform their duties in accordance with state and federal law, school policies and procedures, and ethical standards. Violation of policies, regulations, or guidelines may result in disciplinary action, including termination. Alleged incidents of certain misconduct by educators, including having a criminal record, must be reported to Human Resources immediately.
Required Notification to State Board for Educator Certification
Tekoa Academy is required by House Bill 1783 to notify the State Board for Educator Certification if an educator employed by or seeking employment has (i) a criminal record and the school obtained information about the criminal record by means other than the criminal history clearinghouse or (ii) if an educator’s employment was terminated based on evidence that the educator was involved in a romantic relationship with or solicited or engaged in sexual contact with a student or minor. This report will be filed not later than the seventh day after the date the CEO or designee knew about an employee’s criminal record or a termination of employment or resignation following an alleged incident of misconduct described in Education Code 21.006(b). The CEO or designee must also notify the board of directors.
Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators
Adopted by the Teacher’s Professional Practices CommissionTexas Administrative Code
Texas educators should strive to create an atmosphere that will nurture to fulfill the potential of the student. Educators are responsible for standard practices and ethical conduct toward students, professional colleagues, parents, and the community. This Code is intended to govern the professional, and the Professional Practices Commission shall determine interpretations of the Code. The educator who conducts his/her affairs with conscientious concern will exemplify the highest standards of professional commitment.
All Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators may be reviewed at the following link:
Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators
Complaints and Grievances
In an effort to hear and resolve employee concerns or complaints in a timely manner and at the lowest administrative level possible, the academy has adopted process that all employees must follow. Employees are encouraged to discuss their concerns or complaints with their immediate supervisors or with appropriate staff.
The formal process provides all employees with an opportunity to be heard up to the highest level of management if they are dissatisfied with an administrative response. Once all administrative grievance procedures are exhausted, employees can bring concerns or complaints to the CEO.
Freedom from Retaliation
Neither the CEO nor the administration shall unlawfully retaliate against any employee for bringing a grievance under this policy.
Whistleblower Complaints
Employees who allege adverse employment action in retaliation for reporting a violation of law to an appropriate authority shall initiate a grievance under this policy within the time specified by law.
General Provisions
A grievance must specify the individual harm alleged. An employee is prohibited from bringing separate or serial grievances regarding the same event or action. All time limits shall be strictly complied with unless modified by mutual consent.
Consolidation
When the CEO or designee determines that two or more individual grievances are sufficiently similar in nature and remedy to permit their resolution through one proceeding, he or she may consolidate the grievances.
Initiating Grievance
Unless otherwise specified in policy, an employee shall initiate a grievance as provided at LEVEL ONE, below.
Level One: An employee who has a grievance shall request a conference with the principal or immediate supervisor by submitting the grievance in writing on a form provided by the Academy. The form must be filed within seven (7) business days of the time the employee first knew or should have known of the event or series of events about which the employee is complaining. The principal or supervisor shall hold the conference within seven (7) business days after receipt of the written request. The principal or supervisor shall have ten (10) business days following the conference within which to respond.
Level Two: If the outcome of the conference at Level One is not to the employee's satisfaction or if the time for a response has expired, the employee may request a conference with the CEO or designee to discuss the grievance. The request shall be in writing on a form provided by the Academy and must be filed within seven (7) business days following receipt of a response or, if no response is received, within seven days of the response deadline.
The CEO or designee shall hold the conference within seven (7) business days after receiving the written request. The CEO or designee shall have seven days following the conference within which to respond.
Level Three: If the outcome of the conference at Level Two is not to the employee's satisfaction or if the time for a response has expired, the employee may submit to the CEO or designee a request to place the matter on the agenda of a future Board meeting. The request shall be in writing on a form provided by the Academy and must be filed within seven (7) business days following receipt of a response or, if no response is received, within seven (7) business days of the response deadline.