DED LOCAL

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: LEAVES AND ABSENCES

SECTION ONE: DEFINITIONS

1.01 "Vacation" pay is an employee fringe benefit provided by Angelina College that allows employees to be absent from work with pay. The number of paid vacation days provided is based on the number of years of employment.

1.02 "Active Status" means an employee who is currently in an approved and budgeted Angelina College position. May be a full-time, part-time, or temporary job.

1.03 "Holiday" pay is for time off provided by the employer in observance of federal holidays as well as those days observed by Angelina College. Employees are eligible to receive holiday pay as soon as they become employees-there is no waiting period.

1.04 "Inclement Weather" is referred to as severe or harsh weather.

1.05 "Essential Personnel" means faculty and staff who are required to report to their designated work location to ensure the operation of essential functions during an emergency when Angelina College has suspended operations.

1.06 "Days" shall mean College District business days, unless otherwise noted.

SECTION TWO: ANNUAL LEAVE (VACATION)

2.01 Only full-time, 12-month employees shall be entitled to paid vacation leave. Part-time employees, 9-month employees, and 10.5-month employees are not entitled to paid vacation. Days during which the College is closed, such as holidays, during the fiscal year must be taken as scheduled and do not accrue and carry forward to the next year.

2.02 Vacation entitlement shall be earned commencing on the first day of employment and ending on the last day of employment.

2.03 Continuous employment of six months is required before an employee can be granted a vacation with pay.

2.04 The direct supervisor reviews and approves all vacation requests to determine that there will be no adverse impact on unit operations.

2.05 Vacation days earned may be taken at one time or maybe taken incrementally as determined by the employee and the supervisor.

2.06 Vacation days taken incrementally may not result in a long-term alteration of the employee's scheduled work days or hours.
2.07 If an employee becomes ill while on vacation, the time off is to be charged to vacation (NOT sick leave).

2.08 Vacation entitlement is earned as follows:

2.09 Vacation entitlement shall be prorated for any employee who is full-time, but does not regularly work a 40-hour-per-week schedule. For example, a 0.9 full-time equivalent position shall earn 90% of the entitlement above.

2.10 If vacation is earned but not taken, a maximum of 300 hours shall automatically be carried into the next fiscal year. Vacation hours in excess of 300 hours earned but not taken by August 31 will be forfeited.

2.11 An employee who resigns, is dismissed, retires, or otherwise is separated from employment, shall be paid for accrued vacation hours but not exceed the maximum carry forward.

SECTION THREE: PAID HOLIDAYS

3.01 All employees (except students, and part-time employees) are entitled to paid holidays designated in the College District bulletin. The College District reserves the right to change, add, or delete holidays as dictated by the best interests of the College District.

3.01.1 Non-exempt or hourly employees eligible to observe holidays will be paid for these days if such employees would otherwise be listed on the payroll for the period.

3.01.2 An employee becomes eligible for holiday pay immediately upon reporting for duty as required by the College District, except that holiday pay for the Winter semester and Spring Break will not be paid unless the employee works at least one month immediately prior to the break.

3.02 The Winter semester break and Spring Break are holidays for employees but are not computed in a pro-rata salary adjustment for partial assignment years.

3.03 Non-exempt employees who are required to work during a paid holiday period will be compensated at their normal rate of pay for the holiday, plus one and one-half times their hourly rate for actual hours worked. Except on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, Martin Luther King Day, New Year's Day, July 4th, Juneteenth, Memorial Day, and Labor Day employees shall be compensated at their normal rate of pay for the holiday, plus two times their hourly rate for actual hours worked. 

3.04 The following dates are paid holidays for full-time employees:

3.05 The College District reserves the right to change approved holidays if dictated by the approved College District calendar.

SECTION FOUR: OFFICIAL COLLEGE CLOSURE AND INCLEMENT WEATHER

4.01 Official college closures occur based on an imminent danger to an employee's life or as a result of a severe weather condition or other emergency. The President or a designated official must determine that an employee was officially ordered or authorized to evacuate for an employee to be paid for an official closure.

4.02 Employees whose salary or hourly rate is paid from a grant must adhere to the personnel guidelines as stated in the grant. Absent guidelines in a grant, grant personnel shall adhere to the college Policy.

4.03 Inclement weather closure may not affect all Angelina College campuses or centers. Thus, the inclement weather closure may not affect all employees. The President or a designated official must make the determination that a campus or center should be closed due to inclement weather for an employee to be paid for an official closure.

4.04 The President or designee will designate the employee groups that will be excused from work assignments during inclement weather closings.

4.05 In case of inclement weather or other emergency closing of Angelina College or its locations, full-time employees who are absent from work assignments shall receive regular pay, if the following conditions are met:

1. The full-time employee reports for work and is later sent home during the workday because of emergency closing; or 

2. The full-time employee does not report to work because the College District announces an emergency closing prior to the beginning of the workday.

SECTION FIVE: ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL

5.01 If essential personnel are required to report for duty during a designated inclement weather closure, the essential personnel will be compensated (Regular Rate of Pay) for the actual hours worked in addition to Inclement Weather Leave.

5.02 If a full-time employee does not report to work when an inclement weather closing has not been announced, the absence shall be charged against the employee's personal business or vacation accrual, unless there is no such personal business or vacation time remaining, in which case the absence will be unpaid.

5.03 There are designated televisions and/or radio stations that will broadcast any decision determined by the appropriate College District authority as to whether or not there has been a single or multiple site closing due to inclement weather. The College District will also notify employees through the emergency message system.

The Vice President of Business Affairs is responsible for reviewing and updating this policy. Policy reviews are made in accordance with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness Policy Tracking document.

Document History:

Adopted: 02/2004

Revised: 02/2023