Title
Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board adopted and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 135-2020 authorizing the use of sick leave for employees unable to work due to the need to care for a school-age child who is distance learning as a result of COVID-19.
FUNDING: N/A
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The 2020-21 School Year has begun and the majority of El Dorado County Schools have started with a distance learning format due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Distance learning has created a child care challenge for working parents who cannot locate alternative child care solutions.
Human Resources emailed all employees asking them to complete a survey in late June 2020 to assess the impact distance learning may have on El Dorado County employees. Over 500 employees responded. 68% of respondents stated their child’s school district will be delivering distance learning only, and 29% of respondents stated their child’s school district will have a hybrid in-person and distance learning model. In thinking about the upcoming school year, respondents were asked to rank, in order, the options that appealed to them the most in order to meet the challenges surrounding distance learning. The top three responses were flexible work schedule (24%), telework (23%), and flexibility in using accrued leaves (16%).
The Chief Administrative Office met with Department Heads and determined that the best way to meet employees’ need for flexibility in using accrued leaves would be to allow the use of sick leave for employees who are unable to work due to a need to care for a school-age child who is distance learning.
The resolution authorizes the use of sick leave for employees who are unable to work due to their school-age children distance learning. School-age children are defined as kindergarten through 12th grade to align with the California Department of Public Health’s “COVID-19 and Reopening In-Person Learning Framework for K-12 Schools in Californ...
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