Administrative Procedure 4153 - Time and Attendance

I. Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to establish the requirements for reporting absences, to provide guidelines for the handling of tardiness, early departures, and unscheduled absences, and to outline employees' need to adhere to established work
schedules to maintain efficient, effective operations throughout Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS). It is vital to PGCPS for all employees to have reliable attendance. Absenteeism and tardiness negatively impacts our ability to effectively educate students and provide PGCPS services.

II. Policy

The Board of Education believes that learning and working environments that are safe and supportive are vital for achieving a goal of outstanding academic achievement for all students. The Board is committed to all employees being highly qualified, highly skilled and effective. (Board Policy 0118)

III. Definitions

1. Absence Without Authorized Leave (AWAL): Occurs when an employee has exhausted all paid leave and is not in an approved leave status.
2. Corrective Action: A range of responses to an employee’s behavior or performance concern, including, but not limited to: verbal counseling, letter of professional counseling, letter of reprimand, for suspension, and termination. Schools and other offices/departments may implement corrective action up to a letter of reprimand on the corrective action document on the PGCPS Staff Portal. Any action beyond a letter of reprimand requires a referral to the Employee and Labor Relations Office (ELRO).
3. Job Abandonment: Occurs when an employee has a no call/no show for three (3) or more consecutive work days. This constitutes a voluntary resignation/quit, and a separation notice will be generated.
4. Leave Granting Authority: The school principal, office/department supervisor responsible for approving leave.
5. Leave Without Pay (LWOP) or Leave of Absence (LOA): An approved leave status that occurs after an employee has exhausted all available paid leave. An employee that desires to be placed in LWOP or LOA, must apply for and be approved for LWOP or LOA as outlined in the negotiated agreements.
6. Loudermill Hearing: a due process meeting, where required, conducted by the Employee and Labor Relations Office (ELRO) when there is an allegation against an employee. ELRO recommends disciplinary action, up to and including termination. The employee may have Union representation during a Loudermill.
7. No call/no show: An unscheduled absence without proper notification to the employee's supervisor or department as established by the leave granting authority and submission into Oracle.
8. Occurrence: When an employee is unavailable for work as assigned/scheduled and such time off was not scheduled/approved in advance as required by department notification procedure.
9. Pattern Absences: Unscheduled absences the day before or after a holiday, annual leave or personal day. A pattern also constitutes three or more instances of unscheduled leave on a specific day of the week, weekend, or a specific work day. This listing is not exhaustive.
10. Scheduled Absence: A scheduled absence occurs when an employee requests and is approved to take time off in accordance with PGCPS procedures. Examples of scheduled absences include approved annual leave, personal holidays, jury duty, military related leave, bereavement leave, leave covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Sick Leave Bank, Short-Term Disability leave, or other approved leave.
11. Tardy: Failure to report to an employee's assigned work area and be prepared to start work at his or her scheduled start time, including returning from breaks and meal periods.
12. Unscheduled Absence: Failure to report to work on a scheduled workday or working less than half of a scheduled workday due to tardiness or early departure. Absences on consecutive workdays for the same reason will count as one unscheduled absence under this procedure. A supervisor may review the absence to determine if there is a pattern, such as a personal or family emergency.
13. Unscheduled Early Departure: Failure to work a complete workday due to an early departure without notification and approval from the employee’s supervisor.

IV. Procedures

1. Responsibility to Report for Scheduled Shift Employees must arrive and be prepared to commence work at their scheduled start time. Employees are responsible for timely notification of absences, late arrivals, or early departures on the day of the occurrence to their leave granting authority. Unscheduled absences, late arrivals and unscheduled early departures, failure to provide appropriate notification, or abuse of sick leave or other paid time off may result in progressive discipline, up to and including termination of employment. Absences, late arrivals, and early departures due to approved leave, such as FMLA, Sick Leave Bank, Worker’s Compensation, or other approved leave as required by law will not be counted as occurrences.
   1. Supervisors/Managers should communicate to employees the importance of timely and regular attendance and may develop written school and/or worksite leave protocols consistent with this procedure.
      1. The leave protocols should define when and whom an employee is to contact if he/she is going to be absent or tardy.
      2. It should also provide a time frame for an employee, who will be delayed or absent, to notify supervisors.
   2. Employees must notify their leave granting authority, or that person’s designee, of any unscheduled absence or early departure, or late arrival as far in advance as possible. Notification does not constitute approval of the leave.
   3. Employees shall attend work as scheduled and record leave in Oracle. Some employees may be required to complete sign-in sheets, or otherwise track attendance, at their assigned PGCPS work location.
   4. An unscheduled absence will be recorded as one (1) occurrence. A scheduled absence should not be recorded as an occurrence. However, pattern absences and failure to provide timely notification may result in absences being counted as unscheduled.
   5. Occurrences will be tracked by each department based on a calendar year. However, there is a three (3) year look back period.
   6. For unscheduled absences, tardiness, and early departure, Leave Granting Authorities, or their designees, will follow the corrective action progression described below. However, depending on the situation, corrective action may be accelerated, repeated, or taken out of sequence, and PGCPS reserves the right to effect immediate termination should it be warranted.
      1. Verbal Counseling
      2. Letter of Professional Counseling
      3. Letter of Reprimand. The Supervisor must have a meeting with the employee and notify the employee in writing that the meeting is disciplinary in nature. The employee may have Union Representation. The employee must contact the Union representative to appear either in person or via phone.
      4. Referral to ELRO.
   7. The leave granting authority is responsible for identifying pattern absences. Employees may be subject to corrective action for a pattern of unscheduled absences. Examples could include calling out the day before or after a major sporting event, before or after a holiday, pay days, on days of assigned deadlines, or any other suspicious pattern.
2. Meal periods and breaks may not be used to cover for absences or tardiness. An employee may not extend the normal workday or work beyond his/her scheduled shift to make up for being tardy without the prior approval of the employee’s leave granting authority. In the instances where the leave granting authority approves the use of the meal period, this should only be on an as-needed basis or consistent with the employee’s Negotiated Agreement.
3. An unscheduled absence typically is unpaid, for example LWOP, unless the employee requests leave in Oracle, and the employee’s leave granting authority approves the use of accrued annual, sick, or personal leave in accordance with PGCPS procedure and labor contracts.
   1. The leave granting authority, or designee, may request that the employee substantiate the unscheduled absence.
   2. Subject to the terms of the negotiated agreement, an employee will not be compensated for unscheduled absences that extend beyond his/her accrual balances (projected leave) without prior approval from the leave granting authority, or designee, and the Payroll Department.
   3. Doctor’s notes and/or other documentation are not required unless requested by the leave granting authority, or that person’s designee. The leave granting authority may review an unsolicited doctor’s note(s) and/or documentation, but their review could still result in an unscheduled absence being charged to the employee.
   4. Employees who have ongoing medical and/or health conditions should contact Absence Management regarding FMLA and/or submit a request for a reasonable accommodation under Administrative Procedure 4172 to the PGCPS Equity Assurance Office. If an employee has a pending 4172 matter, the employee shall continue to report to work unless notified in writing by the Equity Assurance Office.
4. Requests for scheduled absences, including jury duty, emergency time off (annual or personal leave), bereavement, and military must be requested as far in advance as possible.
   1. It is the employee’s responsibility to request leave or time off in Oracle and to submit the appropriate documentation, when requested.
   2. Employees who are unable to report to work as scheduled or using intermittent FMLA or other leave, are required to notify their leave granting authority, or designee.
5. The following circumstance may result in an employee being charged with an unscheduled absence:
   1. Leave that is denied by the leave granting authority (or that person’s designee);
   2. Failure to return to work after the expiration of an approved leave;
   3. Notification from Risk Management of the expectation to return to work;
   4. Notification from Absence Management of the expectation to return to work;
   5. Notification from the Employee and Labor Relations Office of the expectation to return to work; or
   6. Failure to comply with PGCPS procedures.
6. Employees absent more than three (3) consecutive days or who are suspected of abusing leave may be required to substantiate their absence with their leave granting authority. Failure to submit such proof upon request may result in corrective action and the denial of the requested leave.
7. Emergency Personnel
   1. Due to the nature of the services that employees designated as “emergency” provide, these employees are expected to report to work at the required start time and stay until the conclusion of his/her shift.
   2. If an employee will be late or unable to report to work, the employee must notify his or her leave granting authority as soon as possible.
8. Essential Personnel
   1. After notification from the Chief Executive Officer, or that person’s designee, that a department and/or position is deemed to be temporarily essential to ensure the continuity of PGCPS operations, these employees are expected to report to work at the required start time and stay until the conclusion of his/her shift.
   2. If an employee will be late or unable to report to work, the employee must notify his or her leave granting authority as soon as possible.
9. No Call/No Show
   1. If an employee fails to notify his/her leave granting authority, or that person’s designee, and does not report to work by the start of his/her scheduled shift, the absence will be designated as a no call/no show. Employees will be subject to immediate corrective action for a no call/no show.
   2. For a nonconsecutive no call/no show, Leave Granting Authorities will follow the corrective action progression described below. However, depending on the situation, corrective action may be accelerated, repeated, or taken out of sequence. PGCPS reserves the right to effect immediate termination, or recommend immediate termination, should it be warranted:
      1. Letter of Verbal Counseling
      2. Letter of Professional Counseling
      3. Letter of Reprimand - The Supervisor must have a meeting with the employee and notify the employee in writing that the meeting is disciplinary in nature. The employee may have Union Representation. The employee must contact the Union representative to appear either in person or via phone.
      4. Referral to ELRO
   3. For no call/no show of three (3) or more consecutive workdays, absent extenuating circumstances, an employee will be considered to have abandoned the job.
      1. The leave granting authority shall refer the matter to ELRO. Upon receipt of the matter, ELRO will give the employee an opportunity to attend a Loudermill meeting, where required, and make a recommendation on whether the employee’s employment will be separated in compliance with the applicable negotiated labor agreement, regulations for supporting personnel, and/or PGCPS procedures.
      2. After referral to ELRO, no further action should be taken by the leave granting authority without consultation with ELRO.
      3. If an employee is terminated under this provision, the leave granting authority, designee or ELRO, should follow the procedures outlined in Administrative Procedure 4149 - Final Salary Check Upon Termination or Resignation.
   4. Unauthorized Leave An absent employee that has exhausted all paid leave and is not in an approved leave status will be considered to be in an unauthorized leave status. The leave granting authority, or designee, will follow the corrective action progression described below to address unauthorized leave.
      1. Verbal Counseling
      2. Letter of Professional Counseling
      3. Letter of Reprimand. The Supervisor must have a meeting with the employee and notify the employee in writing that the meeting is disciplinary in nature. The employee may have Union Representation. The employee must contact the Union representative to appear either in person or via phone Referral to ELRO.
      4. In the above circumstances, even if an employee notifies the workplace that he or she will be absent from work, he or she will be considered to be AWAL. In addition, neither the act of a timekeeper entering absences without authorized leave in the timekeeping system, nor the act of a leave granting authority “approving” or “authorizing” the timecard overall for the pay period shall constitute approval or authorization of absence without authorized leave.
      5. Absences without authorized leave are cumulative over a three-year timeframe.
   5. Failure to Report Leave/Falsification:
      1. An employee’s failure to report leave or falsification of time records or documents may be considered a violation of Board Policy 0109 - Fraud, Waste, and Abuse, Administrative Procedure 2200 – Fraud, Waste and Abuse and Whistleblower Protection, the Employee Code of Conduct or other applicable policies or procedures. Any violation may be subject to corrective action.
      2. The time keeper is responsible for reviewing and approving time before the approval deadline. It is the responsibility of the leave granting authority, or designee, to ensure the final time submission is accurate.

V. MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE

• This procedure will be reviewed by the Employee and Labor Relations Office annually for compliance with labor negotiated agreements, as well as providing guidance to leave granting authorities.
• ELRO will be responsible for providing affected employees the opportunity for due process, where required, when corrective action escalates to a recommendation for suspension or a recommendation for termination.

VI. Related Policies and Procedures

• Labor Agreements
• Regulations for Supporting Personnel;
• Employee Code of Conduct;
• BP 0109 - Fraud, Waste and Abuse
• AP 2200 - Fraud, Waste and Abuse and Whistleblower Protection
• AP 2565.1 - Employee Attendance During Inclement Weather and Other Emergency Conditions
• AP 4149 - Final Salary Check Upon Employee Resignation or Termination

VII. Maintenance and Update of these Procedures

This Administrative Procedure originates with the Chief Human Resources Officer and will be updated as needed.

VIII. Cancellations and Supersedures

This procedure cancels and supersedes Administrative Procedure 4153 dated February 1, 2011.

IX. Effective Date

Last Revised: September 14, 2021

Documents

• Administrative Procedure 4153 - Time and Attendance.pdf