The length of the school day for licensed staff will be a minimum of seven hours and thirty minutes and will continue until professional responsibilities to the student and school are completed. Administrative meetings, curriculum development, pupil supervision, assigned duties, parent conferences, group or individual planning and extra-curricular activities may require hours beyond the stated minimum.
Working hours for all employees not exempted under the Fair Labor Standards Act, including bookkeepers, secretaries, cafeteria, janitorial and maintenance personnel, will conform to federal and state regulations. Supervisors will make every effort to avoid circumstances which require non-exempt employees to work more than 40 hours. A copy of the Fair Labor Standards Act and any administrative procedures established by the superintendent will be available to employees in the administrative center.
All employees are expected to be present during all working hours. Absence without prior approval, chronic absences, habitual tardiness or abuses of designated working hours are all considered neglect of duty and will result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
It is the belief of the Wilkes County Board of Education that site based management is the best vehicle for decision making, especially when all members of a given staff are involved. However, in order to protect the instructional day and prevent personnel having to stay beyond the normal working day, the Board of Education urges all schools to limit the number and length of all meetings including faculty meetings, workshops and grade level meetings.
All certified personnel are expected to attend all meetings duly called by the principal or superintendent. Non-certified personnel are expected to attend those meetings which pertain to their work and to which they are requested by their supervisor to attend. Schools are asked to pay particular attention to the time that non-exempt employees are asked to attend meetings, and to provide the proper compensation for non-exempt personnel if they must attend meetings or work beyond their normal working day.
All personnel are asked not to be away from their work site during normal working hours except when absolutely necessary to conduct the business of the school. Workshops and other meetings should be scheduled when students are not in attendance and compensation provided for all personnel who attend after normal working hours.
In cases of emergency, when non-exempt employees are required to work over-time, they will be paid with compensatory time. Every effort will be made for the employee to take the compensatory time during the work week in which the over-time occurred. In cases when this is not possible, the employee must take the compensatory time earned no later than the end of the following pay period.
If the employee is able to take the compensatory time during the week in which it was earned without going over the forty (40) hours, the time would be repaid hour for hour. However, if it cannot be taken during the week earned, it must be repaid at one and one half time the hours of overtime worked.
The superintendent or his designee must approve any overtime that will result in repayment of compensatory time at the time and one half rate or payment of overtime wages.
The Wilkes County Board of Education complies with the policy of the North Carolina State Board of Education establishing the work week for all non-certified school employees at forty (40) hours per week as of July 1, 1986.
Legal References: The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 201, et. seq.; G.S. 115C- 47(18), -288, -307
Cross References: Leave of Absence (policy 7510)
Adopted: January 9, 2006