3.69 – Civil Leave
A. Purpose
To establish standards for situations in which an employee must miss work to serve on a jury, attend court, or to vote during elections.
B. Policy
Employees of the college are entitled to leave when voting, serving on a jury, or when subpoenaed as a witness. This leave is paid for full-time employees and unpaid for part-time employees. It is the responsibility of the employee to inform their immediate supervisor when such duty is scheduled and the expected duration.
C. Procedures
Jury Duty
A full-time employee who serves on a jury is entitled to leave with pay.
Full-time employees are responsible for providing the college with proof of jury duty attendance. Failure to provide such proof will constitute labeling the time missed as an unexcused absence. All fees received for serving on a jury must be remitted to the college unless the fee was received for jury duty performed on a scheduled day off paid from the employees accrued leave balance.
The employee must report back to work upon completion of the duty.
If jury duty occurs on a scheduled day off, the employee is not entitled to additional time off.
Jury duty leave for part-time employees is unpaid. They keep the fee they receive from the court.
Court Attendance
When an employee attends court in connection with official college duties, no leave is required. If the court is on a day that would normally be a scheduled day off, the time is to be considered as working time and included in the total hours worked per week.
When a full-time employee is subpoenaed or directed by proper authority to appear as a witness, civil leave with pay shall be granted; such leave for part-time employees is unpaid.
An employee who is a party (plaintiff or defendant) in a court proceeding, or is attending court as a victim or immediate family member of a victim, is not considered to be a “witness”; therefore, leave for the purpose of attending court in such situations will be without pay, unless the employee uses vacation or personal leave.
Voting
Consistent with Missouri law, if an employee’s work schedule on an election day does not result in them having three or more consecutive hours of non-work time while the polls are open, the employee will be entitled to time off of work in order to vote. The employee is only eligible to take time off work in the amount necessary to ensure they have three consecutive hours of non-work time while the polls are open. For example, if the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., an employee working an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule would only be eligible for one hour off of work at the beginning or end of their workday.
Requests to take time off to vote should be made to a supervisor at least one day prior to the election.
Employees will not be discouraged from taking time off to vote nor will they be disciplined or retaliated against for taking time off to do so. Employees will also be paid for the normal work hours that they have taken off to vote under this policy.
D. Definitions
E. Authority
This policy is maintained under the authority of the chief human resources officer.
F. Related Policies
G. Implementation
Purpose, Procedures, Definitions, Authority and Related Policies sections approved and adopted by the chancellor’s cabinet on 05/20/20.
Policy approved and adopted by the Board of Trustees on 2/23/98 and 8/10/20.Set for review in fiscal year 2023-2024.