Sick Leave

Administrative Procedure 5.304

Elgin Community College provides sick leave to all regularly scheduled full-time administrative employees who are employed twelve (12) months a year and not subject to a collective bargaining agreement.

Sick leave is earned, paid leave granted to eligible employees for periods of absence because of personal illness, injury, medical quarantine, medical, dental or optical examinations and treatments, or any temporary disability caused or contributed to by pregnancy, miscarriage or childbirth.

An employee may also use sick leave for the illness, injury, medical quarantine, medical, dental or optical examination and treatment of an immediate family member or for the purpose of attending to immediate family at the time of birth or adoption of a child, provided the time is not used for a period more than the amount of sick leave earned and accumulated in any calendar year. If the employee is on leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), sick leave must be used initially and concurrently as part of the FMLA leave.

1. For purposes hereof, "immediate family" will include parents, spouse, spouse substitute, brothers, sisters, children, grandparents, grandchildren, parents-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law and legal guardians. In addition, three (3) days of sick leave may be used to extend a “Bereavement” absence for a death in the immediate family.
2. All full-time employees employed on a regular basis who are not affiliated with an employee organization having a collective bargaining agreement with the College will be credited with twelve (12) days of sick leave effective the first day of employment.  Thereafter, one (1) day of sick leave shall accrue per month of actual employment. Sick leave may not be used prior to accrual. If sick leave is exhausted, personal and vacation leave, in their respective order, shall be used in its place.
3. Any employee using sick leave will promptly notify his/her immediate supervisor at the onset of the illness. If the employee unexpectedly is absent due to personal or a family member's illness, he/she must call his/her immediate supervisor no later than 9:00 a.m. Sick leave may be taken in any block of time of not less than one (1) hour.
4. After five (5) consecutive days of absence, the College or the President may require medical documentation for the absence or, if the treatment is prayer or spiritual means, that of a spiritual advisor or practitioner of such person's faith, as a basis for pay during leave after an absence of three days for personal illness, or as the Board or President may deem necessary in other cases. This provision will not limit the right of the Board to require evidence of physical fitness.
5. No deduction will be made from the time or compensation of any employee because of any sick leave, but a deduction will be made to the extent such time or compensation is otherwise provided through benefits indirectly or directly provided by the College.
6. Although sick leave may be accrued, employees are not paid for unused sick leave upon termination of employment. However, subject to applicable law, accrued sick leave may be considered for purposes of service purchase with the State Universities Retirement System.
7. For purposes of these procedures, the term "day" refers to a day on which an employee would otherwise be required to work. Days on which an employee would not otherwise be required to work are not to be counted against sick leave.

This policy was last reviewed on 08/31/2023.