HR Policies and Procedures Updates

Rev. 6-1-08, 2nd Rev. 5-1-11, 5-15-23, 4-17-25

Drury University provides paid sick leave benefits to all regular full-time staff members for periods of temporary absence as described in this Section. Eligible staff members may use sick leave benefits under the following circumstances:

• For absences due to their own mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; for their need for medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or for their need for preventative medical care.
• For absences for the care of a family member*, as defined in this Section, with mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition, or care of a family member who needs preventative care;
• Closure of Drury’s place of business by order of a public official due to a public health emergency, or an staff member’s need to care of a child whose school or place of care has been close by order of a public official due to a public health emergency, or care for oneself or a family member when it has been determined by the health authorities having jurisdiction or by a health care provider that the staff member’s or family member’s presence in the community may jeopardize the health of others because of his or her exposure to a communicable disease, whether or not the staff member or family member has actually contracted the communicable disease; or
• Absence necessary due to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, provided the leave is to allow the staff member to obtain for the staff member or staff member’s family member:
• Medical attention needed to recover from physical or psychological injury or disability caused by domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking;
• Services from a victim services organization;
• Psychological or other counseling;
• Relocation or taking steps to secure an existing home due to the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking;
• Legal services, including preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding related to or resulting from the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Further information on absences due to illness or injury to a family member is addressed in the Family and Medical Leave policy, Section 603.

 

 

 

Accrual

Eligible staff members will accrue sick leave benefits at the rate of 8 hours per month. Sick leave accrual begins when the individual begins working. Paid sick leave can be used in minimum increments of one hour.

Staff members who wish to use paid sick leave as outlined above, where foreseeable, should notify their direct supervisor before the use of earned sick leave, and shall make a reasonable effort to schedule such use in a manner that does not unduly disrupt the operations of the university.  When such use is not foreseeable, staff members should provide notice as soon as practicable.

Documentation

Before returning to work after an absence of three or more consecutive work days, staff members may be required to furnish reasonable documentation that the sick leave was used for a necessary absence as outlined above, but will not be required to explain the nature of the illness, details of the health needs, or details of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. 

Sick leave benefits will be calculated based on the staff member’s base pay rate at the time of absence. Absences in excess of five consecutive work days due to a serious medical condition will ordinarily be designated as Family and Medical Leave when the staff member is eligible for FMLA. For more information, refer to Section 603, Family and Medical Leave Policy. Sick leave may not be used during Family and Medical Leave unless the leave is due to the staff member’s own serious health condition. Absences in excess of available Family and Medical Leave, paid or unpaid, must be arranged with the Human Resources Department.

Eligible staff members who have accrued sick leave who leave employment will be allowed to reinstate previously accrued sick leave up to a maximum of 80 hours if they return to employment within 9 months. Regular full-time staff members who leave regular full-time employment for part-time or other employment will no longer be governed by this policy.

Unused sick leave benefits will be allowed to accumulate as follows: Staff members beginning their qualifying service after June 1, 2025 may not accrue more than 600 hours of additional sick leave benefits. If the staff member’s benefits reach the maximum, further accrual of sick leave benefits will be suspended until the staff member has reduced the balance below the limit.

Staff members whose qualifying service began prior to June 1, 2025, who may have accrued as much as 960 hours of sick leave under the prior Sick Leave policy may use that accrued sick leave per the policies outlined herein, but shall not be able to accrue additional sick leave in excess of 600 hours of additional sick leave.

Staff members will be required to use eligible paid time off concurrently with FMLA. Upon exhaustion of eligible accrued time off, the remainder of leave will be unpaid. For FMLA purposes the leave will be deducted from the staff member’s available bank of FMLA leave, from day one of absence.

Staff members absent on paid leave continue to accrue sick leave benefits. University holidays or university closures occurring during paid leave are not charged to sick leave benefits. Sick leave benefits cannot be taken in advance of being earned. If accrued sick leave benefits are exhausted for non-FMLA absences, further absences must be charged to accrued vacation. If all other paid leave benefits are exhausted, if any, the staff member’s absence must be charged to the unpaid time off category.

Unused sick leave benefits will not be paid to staff members while they are employed or upon termination of employment. Staff members will not be penalized for using sick leave under this policy.

This policy may be modified, amended, or rescinded due to changes in Missouri law.

Coaching staff and faculty are not eligible for sick leave under this Section, but may be covered by the Statutory Sick Leave Policy, and may qualify for FMLA. For information on FMLA, Family Medical Leave policy, Section 603. For more information on our Long-Term Disability Policy, refer to Section 306, Long-Term Disability Policy.

*Solely for purposes of Section 608, “family member” refers to any of the following individuals:

  (a)  Regardless of age, a biological, adopted or foster child, stepchild or legal ward, a child of a domestic partner, a child to whom the staff member stands in loco parentis, or an individual to whom the staff member stood in loco parentis when the individual was a minor;

  (b)  A biological, foster, stepparent or adoptive parent or legal guardian of a staff member or a staff member’s spouse or domestic partner or an individual who stood in loco parentis when the staff member or staff member’s spouse or domestic partner was a minor child;

  (c)  An individual to whom the staff member is legally married under the laws of any state, or a domestic partner who is registered as such under the laws of any state or political subdivision, or an individual with whom the staff member is in a continuing social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature;

  (d)  A grandparent, grandchild, or sibling (whether of a biological, foster, adoptive or step relationship) of the staff member or the staff member’s spouse or domestic partner; or

  (e)  A person for whom the staff member is responsible for providing or arranging health or safety-related care, including but not limited to helping that individual obtain diagnostic, preventative, routine, or therapeutic health treatment or ensuring the person is safe following domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking

 4-17-25

Effective May 1, 2025, Drury University provides paid statutory sick leave benefits per Missouri statute to all employees in Missouri who are not covered by the Section 608 Sick Leave Policy*, including coaches and faculty, for periods of temporary absence as described in this Section, for a maximum use of 56 statutory sick hours per year. Eligible employees may use statutory sick leave benefits under the following circumstances:

• Absences due to an employee’s own mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; for their need for medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or for their need for preventative medical care.
• Absences for the care of an employee’s family member**, as defined below, with mental, physical illness, injury, or health condition, or care of a family member who needs preventative care;
• Closure of Drury’s place of business by order of a public official due to a public health emergency, or an employee’s need to care of a child whose school or place of care has been close by order of a public official due to a public health emergency, or care for oneself or a family member* when it has been determined by the health authorities having jurisdiction or by a health care provider that the employees or family member’s presence in the community may jeopardize the health of others because of his or her exposure to a communicable disease, whether or not the employee or family member has actually contracted the communicable disease or
• Absence necessary due to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, provided the leave is to allow the Employee to obtain for the Employee or Employee’s family member:
• Medical attention needed to recover from physical or psychological injury or disability caused by domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking;
• Services from a victim services organization;
• Psychological or other counseling;
• Relocation or taking steps to secure an existing home due to the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking;
• Legal services, including preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding related to or resulting from the domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking

 

 

Accrual

Employees covered by this subsection will accrue statutory sick leave benefits at the rate of 1 hour per thirty hours worked. Statutory sick leave accrual begins when the individual begins working. Paid statutory sick leave can be used in minimum increments of one hour.

Employees who wish to use paid statutory sick leave as outlined above, where foreseeable, should notify their direct supervisor before the use of earned statutory sick leave, and shall make a reasonable effort to schedule such use in a manner that does not unduly disrupt the operations of the university.  When such use is not foreseeable, employees should provide notice as soon as practicable.

Documentation

Before returning to work after an absence of three or more consecutive work days, employees are required to furnish reasonable documentation that the sick leave was used for a necessary absence as outlined above, but will not be required to explain the nature of the illness, details of the health needs, or details of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.   

Statutory sick leave benefits will be calculated based on the employee’s base pay rate at the time of absence.

Unused statutory sick leave benefits will be allowed to accumulate until the employee has accrued a total of 80 hours of statutory sick leave benefits. If the employee’s benefits reach this maximum, further accrual of statutory sick leave benefits will be suspended until the staff member has reduced the balance below the limit.

Employees who qualify for Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) will be required to use eligible paid time off concurrently with FMLA. Upon exhaustion of eligible accrued time off, the remainder of leave will be unpaid. For FMLA purposes the statutory sick leave will be deducted from the employee’s available bank of FMLA leave, from day one of absence. This policy does not extend FMLA or any other leave to employees who are not eligible for that leave.

Statutory sick leave benefits cannot be taken in advance of being earned. If accrued statutory sick leave benefits are exhausted for non-FMLA absences, further absences must be charged to the unpaid leave category. Eligible employees who have accrued statutory sick leave who leave employment will be allowed to reinstate previously accrued statutory sick leave up to a maximum of 80 hours if they return to employment within 9 months.

Unused statutory sick leave benefits will not be paid to employees while they are employed or upon termination of employment. No employee shall be punished for taking leave under this policy. This policy may be modified, amended, or rescinded due to changes in Missouri law.

 

*Students participating in the student work program or working as graduate assistants are not considered employees under this policy

**Solely for purposes of this policy, “family member” refers to any of the following individuals:

  (a)  Regardless of age, a biological, adopted, or foster child, stepchild or legal ward, a child of a domestic partner, a child to whom the employee stands in loco parentis, or an individual to whom the employee stood in loco parentis when the individual was a minor;

  (b)  A biological, foster, stepparent or adoptive parent or legal guardian of an employee or an employee’s spouse or domestic partner or an individual who stood in loco parentis when the employee or employee’s spouse or domestic partner was a minor child;

  (c)  An individual to whom the employee is legally married under the laws of any state, or a domestic partner who is registered as such under the laws of any state or political subdivision, or an individual with whom the employee is in a continuing social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature;

  (d)  A grandparent, grandchild, or sibling (whether of a biological, foster, adoptive or step relationship) of the employee or the employee’s spouse or domestic partner; or

  (e)  A person for whom the employee is responsible for providing or arranging health or safety-related care, including but not limited to helping that individual obtain diagnostic, preventative, routine, or therapeutic health treatment or ensuring the person is safe following domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.