1.0 ATTENDANCE (topic also addressed in Employee Handbook in Hours of Duty)

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Jesse Wade
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1 1.0 ATTENDANCE (topic also addressed in Employee Handbook in Hours of Duty) Employees of the Transportation Division, especially drivers and driver assistants, are essential to the accomplishment of daily work schedules. There is no way to double-up or simply backlog work when a driver or driver assistant is absent. Employees scheduled for driver or driver assistant duties, when absent, must be replaced on a one-for-one basis. It is essential that all employees of the division provide as much advance notice of planned absences as possible. When an employee misses any portion of the work shift (morning, afternoon, extra assignments), leave must be used. For full-time, year round employees, with supervisor s approval, a portion of the workday can be made up provided the absence is less than 3 hours, and occurs no more than once in an given pay period SUMMER SCHOOL ATTENDANCE Given the short duration and time involved with summer school routes, drivers and monitors that miss more than the number of assignments stated below will be ineligible for work next summer: If the summer route is 8 weeks or more, a maximum of 4 morning and/or afternoon assignments is allowed, If the summer school route is 6 weeks or more, but less than 8 weeks, a maximum of 3 morning and/or afternoon assignments is allowed, If the summer school route is 4 weeks or more, but less than 6 weeks, a maximum of 2 morning and/or afternoon assignments is allowed, If the summer school route is less than 4 weeks, a maximum of 1 morning and/or afternoon assignments is allowed ROUTE REASSIGNMENT PROCEDURE The route reassignment procedure is developed to achieve the following objectives: Provide and achieve minimum disruption of service due to absenteeism, Accommodate legitimate needs of employees, Provide certainty and consistency in terms of enforcement of the procedure, and Provide an incentive for good attendance. For the limited purpose of this Transportation Division attendance/assignment procedure, the following definitions apply: Revised: November

2 Major Illness: Any illness or condition which results in absence for more than 20 consecutive work days. This category is characterized by an anticipated specific date of return to work. Examples include; major surgery, broken bones and any other illness for which a get-well date can be projected. An employee who has a major illness may be permitted to return to their previously assigned route(s) if the absence extends no longer than 70 working days. When the employee who was absent more than 70 days returns to full duty s/he will be given the first available route equivalent to the one which was given up without having to bid for it for that school year. Absence: A missed morning, afternoon, or extra assignment. (Note: This definition of an absence is used for the limited purpose of this procedure and does NOT affect any provisions of Board of Education Policy in regard to the use of leave benefits. Specifically, it does NOT reduce or otherwise impact Board approved benefits, such as sick leave). Unassigned: When reassigned to this status as a result of using more than accrued leave, a driver/monitor will become a 6-hour employee and will not be eligible for trips/middays for the remainder of that school year and the summer. If a driver/monitor uses more than his/her accrued leave, and those excess absences occur after the annual evaluation period, that employee will not be eligible for trips/middays for at least 3-months, or until such time that there has been an improvement in attendance as defined by a Corrective Action Plan. Notwithstanding the above, under any circumstance, the Unassigned status will not be shorter than 3-months. Circumventing Board Policy with regards to using leave does not preclude those absences from the Route Reassignment Procedure. Extra Assignments: Extra assignments are defined as middays, Activity/ESS runs. These are premium perks not part of the regular assignment schedule for all employees since full-time status in transportation is 6-hours. Once awarded through the bid process, this assignment becomes part of that employee s work schedule and leave must be taken anytime either of these assignments are missed. Given the schedules involved with these assignments and in an effort to maintain consistency, once an employee misses more than 20 of these extra assignments, that extra work assignment will be lost for the remainder of that school year. Appeal Procedure Within ten working days of being advised that s/he has been reassigned due to absences, an employee may request review of the case by contacting the supervisor who issued the reassignment. Likewise, the supervisor may request review. Review will be accomplished by the Transportation Manager at the terminal the employee works. The review will consider the nature of present absences and past year s performance. For example, note shall be taken of type of contract for which the employee was last recommended. Recommendations from the Transportation Manager will be considered and either approved or disapproved by the Transportation Director, who will be the final authority on the reassignment. Buses from which drivers or monitors have been reassigned will not be put up for bid until the appeal has been acted upon by the Transportation Director. Revised: November

3 1.1 APPEARANCE Employees of the Transportation Division are in many cases the most visible representatives of the Fayette County Public School System. Employees are expected to maintain their grooming and hygiene and dress in a manner that permits them to perform their jobs safely and promotes a positive authority image to students riding the buses. Generally speaking, an appearance that is not particularly remarkable is the best appearance. In other words, an employee s appearance should not be the thing most remembered by others. SHIRTS - No see-through shirts/blouses for any employee. All shirts/blouses must come to the end of the shoulder. No holes or offensive slogans. No vulgarity or suggestions of a particular lifestyle that would be contrary to what the students are taught in the Fayette County Public Schools. SHOES - No open-toed shoes. Shoes must have a heel strap or other method of holding the shoe on the foot (This safety restriction applies to employees whose primary duties are aboard school buses). SHORTS & SKIRTS - No shorter than 4 inches above the middle of the knee. No holes or offensive slogans. I.D. Card - The identification tag shall be worn conspicuously at all times when an employee is on duty. REFLECTIVE VEST- All employees shall wear the reflective vest on the lots whenever the walking path is where buses travel. Driver Assistants shall wear the reflective vest whenever they are on duty. VISIBLE TATTOOS- Visible tattoos that are anti-social, sexual, and racial, are prejudicial to good order and discipline, or would bring discredit upon the school district are not permitted. BODY JEWELRY- Visible body piercing jewelry, other than earrings, is not permitted. CLOTHING - All outer garments shall be gender appropriate. There shall be no holes or worn spots more than 4-inches above the knee with bare skin visible. When spandex, leggings or any other tight, form fitting pants are worn, the shirt must fully cover the employee s rear. Employees found to be in violation of the above will be instructed to go home on the first offense. Second offenses may result in more severe penalties. 1.2 PROFANITY Profanity of any type is not permitted on school buses or on any school property. Revised: November

4 1.3 FRATERNIZATION Employees of the Transportation Division shall not date or attempt to date students who ride Fayette County Public School buses. Further, in order to ensure total fairness and equity within the division, any dating between supervisors and those being supervised shall result in reassignment of one or the other of the employees. 1.4 INCLEMENT WEATHER (also addressed in Employee Handbook per Policy 06.21) The determination that school schedules will be changed will be announced on local radio and television stations shortly after 5:00AM. Normally, school schedules may be adjusted as follows: Normal school schedules, One-hour delay, Two-hour delay, No school TORNADOS A tornado watch is when conditions are right for a tornado to develop. A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted in the area. Normally, a warning will carry with it the location of the spotting. The dispatcher will advise whether the condition is a watch or a warning. Follow the dispatcher s instructions. Under watch conditions continue to run your route. When a warning is announced go to the nearest school if time permits. Otherwise, look for solid masonry structures that could be used to blunt the force of heavy winds. If a tornado is spotted and there is insufficient time to travel to a school, look immediately for ditches or depressions in the ground where students may find protection from the wind. 1.5 OFFICIAL CALENDAR The Official School Calendar is published by the Fayette County School System annually, and contains all holidays, record days (no school) and other special days throughout the school year. 1.6 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE (A verbal solution should be sought as a first step) Grievances may be initiated by any employee, at any time, and for any reason related to employment. The first step in filing a formal grievance is to complete a grievance form which can be obtained from the immediate supervisor. This form is then provided to the immediate supervisor stating the nature of the grievance. If the situation is not resolved to the employee s satisfaction, the grievance is forwarded to each succeeding supervisor until it reaches the Revised: November

5 superintendent level. Each level has ten days in which to meet with the employee to attempt resolution of the issue which is the subject of the grievance. After each level it is the employee s responsibility to notify the next level that the problem has not been resolved, and that an audience is requested with the next level of supervision. 1.7 CLASSIFIED ADVISORY COUNCIL The Classified Advisory Council is composed of the Superintendent, Senior Director of Operations, Associate Director Employee Benefits, Associate Director Classified Employees, along with elected representatives from Transportation, Food Services, Maintenance, Operations, Administrative Services, Law Enforcement, Technology and Warehouse. The Transportation Division has a representative from each terminal on the council. The purpose of the council is to discuss issues pertinent to classified employees as a whole. The council is not a substitute for the formal grievance procedure, nor should it be used in lieu of normal internal issue resolution procedures. 1.8 MERIT SYSTEM Assignments shall be made based on the merit system outlined below: Seniority One point shall be awarded for each month of non-probationary service. Attendance One point shall be awarded for completion of the employee s morning work assignment and 1/2 point for the afternoon work assignment. Additionally, monthly bonus points are awarded at the rate of 5 for perfect attendance, 4 for one assignment missed, 3 for two assignments missed, and 2 for three assignments missed. After all leave has been exhausted and additional absences accrue, no merit points are earned for the remainder of that school year. Merit score points are counted from 1 May to 30 April. Summer school will be counted separately. For example, 5 missed assignments during summer school will make the driver/monitor ineligible for work the next summer. An employee who fails to call in will be issued an invalid absence. If the employee is determined to have been able to call in and did not, s/he will be penalized 10 points. Employees who are late for an assignment will be sent home and charged with a missed assignment. Extra assignments do not count for Merit Score purposes; however, once an employee becomes Unassigned, the loss of the extra work assignment applies in accordance with the Route Reassignment Procedure. Bidding at the beginning of the school year will be based upon the merit score obtained as of the last day of school for the prior school year. Revised: November

6 Loss of Points Additionally, performance points may be lost when the following occur: Dirty Bus/Low Fuel Report -10 One valid incident -10 Second valid incident -20 Preventable accident -10 up to $50 damage -20 $101 to $500 damage -30 $501 to $1,000 damage -40 $1,001 and above ASSIGNMENT PROCEDURES Routes are assigned to drivers and driver assistants in several ways. By far, the most common way for a driver to be assigned a route is by bidding for it. Prior to the beginning of school, and then each month thereafter, unassigned routes are offered to the highest bidder. Employees bid by use of their Merit Score. The driver with the highest merit score will be given the route. Employees may bid as many times as desired until they receive a route. Once assigned a route, a driver may not bid on another route for at least three months, and may bid a maximum of two times per school year for routes for a time frame during which a confirmation is already held. Unlimited bidding is permitted for assignments during times when the employee is not presently confirmed. In addition to the bidding process, work assignments, especially to driver assistants may be made as required in order to accomplish the mission of the division. For example, routes may be divided and parts assigned to other drivers as needed at times when the division is short of assigned drivers. Use of Substitutes - Substitutes work for the dispatcher. In order for a substitute to remain eligible to work, that employee must work a minimum of one day per week or the equivalent of 37 assignments and complete all required annual training updates. 1.9 PREVENTABLE ACCIDENTS Initial fault in an accident is determined by the respective Transportation Manager using a variety of tools at their disposal i.e. video footage, witness statements, police report, and the vehicle accident report. Accidents may be reviewed by the Accident Review Committee, composed of the Associate Director, Transportation Manager(s), Routing Supervisor, Safety/Training Coordinator, and Shop Representative, to determine whether the damage could have been avoided or mitigated by actions of the division driver. These accidents are only reviewed by the committee at the request of the division driver. The division driver must make a written request to the Safety/Training Revised: November

7 Coordinator for a review by the committee. Whenever it is determined that division driver action or inaction contributed to the resulting damage, it will be determined to be preventable. Damage not reported on the pre-trip inspection will be attributed to the last driver of record. Any unintentional touching by the bus with another vehicle or other object is considered an accident. Preventable accidents, when the bus strikes an object or vehicle that is not moving, may result in suspension or demotion. Classification of Preventable Accidents: Incident Valued up to $50 Minor $51 to $ to either vehicle. Major $750 and above, or any injury. Note: Accident records are maintained for five years. The seriousness of a driver s accident record is a function of the number and the classification. The following penalties apply: Incident Valued up to $50 3 = Probation 4 in 5 years = Suspension 6 in a 5 year period = Suspension + Conditional Minor Accident Valued at $51 to $ = Probation 3 = Suspension + Probation 6 in a 5 year period = Suspension + Conditional Major Accident Valued at $ and up 2 = Suspension 3 = Suspension + Probation 5 in a 5 year period = Suspension + Conditional Note: The circumstances of any single preventable accident or combination of accidents may justify a recommendation for termination, demotion from driver status, or a combination of several disciplinary measures Use of Cell Phones/Bluetooth Devices The use of cell phones and/or Bluetooth devices by drivers and monitors is prohibited while the bus ignition switch is on. This prohibition applies regardless of whether there are students on board. Transportation employees shall not wear any Bluetooth device or earplugs (headphones) while on the bus. Violation of this prohibition may result in immediate termination of employment. Revised: November

8 1.11 Division of Duties - Drivers and Monitors Generally, the driver is responsible for everything that occurs outside the bus and the monitor is responsible for the inside of the bus. This means the monitor supervises the students, checks for proper departure locations, checks the tags of required receivers, and reports onboard misconduct. The driver retains supervisory authority over the monitor, and is still responsible to make sure the monitor is properly positioned on the bus to carry out assigned duties as listed on the respective checklists in the rear of this manual. Additionally, the driver and monitor are responsible for completing three evaluations. Evaluations are to be completed by each and turned in to the respective Section Supervisor by October 1 st, December 1 st, and February 1 st of each school year. The driver evaluates the monitor, and the monitor evaluates the driver Publication of Work Rules Work rules are published in the Yellow Bus Notes (YBN). It is the responsibility of all employees to read and become familiar with instructions contained in this publication. Work Rule changes are effective upon publication in the YBN. Revised: November

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