NWESD Policy Manual & Administrative Procedures

5022 – Employee Rights and Responsibilities

Policies regarding personnel procedures are developed to provide guidelines for fair, equal, and legal treatment of all NWESD 189 employees and prospective employees. The NWESD 189 shall provide fair and equal opportunities for all staff and employee applicants.

Should any provisions of these policies, or any application of these policies to any employee or group of employees covered hereby be determined contrary to law, such policy shall have effect only to the extent required by law.

NWESD 189 employees shall be directly responsible to the site supervisor and/or site program administrator(s) to which he/she has been assigned to work as well as the NWESD 189’s Central Office administrators.

1. Duties: Employees shall perform duties as assigned by their department, program, and/or site supervisor. Employees shall complete and maintain required reports and records.
2. Service: Each employee is responsible for performing all assigned duties to the best of his/her ability.
3. Training: Each employee is expected to participate in assigned staff development training.
4. Courtesy: Each employee shall be courteous when interacting with the public and with fellow employees, whether in person, by telephone, or by mail.
5. Confidentiality: Each employee may have the opportunity to hear and see confidential information concerning students and their home/family situations. All such information shall be kept confidential and not discussed with anyone other than those who must be involved for the welfare of the student.
6. Personal Conduct: Employees are expected at all times to present themselves in such a way as to be a credit to the NWESD 189.
7. Safety/Liability: Each employee is expected to practice personal safety practice/habits for his/her own protection, fellow employees, and students. This involves seeing to it students under his/her charge are not left unsupervised (see Policy 6511).
8. Orientation: New employees are responsible for becoming acquainted with as much of the total NWESD 189 program as possible.
   All employees of the NWESD 189 are responsible for extending courtesy to new employees. The administrator(s) responsible for new employee(s) shall be responsible for acquainting each employee with his/her duties. The NWESD 189 wishes to do whatever is necessary to ensure each new employee job success. The Personnel/Payroll Department shall assist as requested.
9. Public Relations: Good public relations are an important responsibility within every employee’s job. No matter what position is held, employees represent the NWESD 189. The people with whom employees interact, both on and off the job, will form an opinion about the NWESD 189 based upon employee’s conduct, appearance, and attitudes. Citizens, who directly and indirectly provide employee’s salaries, have every right to expect courtesy, understanding, and cooperation.
10. NWESD 189 Property: Telephones, office supplies, equipment and all other property are to be used only for the conduct of NWESD 189 business and are not to be used for personal business (correspondence, travel information, shopping, etc.) and not to be removed from the NWESD 189 premises without administrative approval (see Policy 4260). Further, staff are responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect NWESD 189 equipment/property that they must remove from the work site for job-related purposes (see Policy 6500), including securing in locked home/motel room for safer keeping if it is necessary to transport.
11. Appearance: Each member of the NWESD 189 staff is expected to maintain appropriate appearance. The attire of employees during business hours will be held to the following standards.
    1. Dress should reflect the position of the employee.
    2. Attire should be that which is commonly accepted in a professional office setting.
    3. Dress should be exemplary to any students with whom the employee interacts.
12. Working Hours: Employees assigned to program sites will work the number of hours authorized for the position held. Additional working hours, if any, will be determined by the supervisor with the approval of the Program Manager and Superintendent, or designee. Hourly employees are not permitted to work extra hours beyond their authorized assignment without prior written permission from the Superintendent, except for special stipends when responding to building alarms.
13. Work Year: Employees will be assigned a normal 260 day work year subject to the needs of the NWESD 189. Each employee is expected to comply with the service year established for the position to which assigned, unless prior approval for adjustment is provided by the supervisor and Superintendent, or designee. When the number of work days exceeds 260, all non-contracted, full-time employees may elect to take the excess day(s) as a non-work day(s).
14. Employment Notification: The NWESD 189 shall notify employees of continuous employment (see Policy 5005).
15. Reporting Absence: Employees are responsible for immediately contacting their supervisor, or designated person, if they are unable to report for work with the reason for absence.
16. Reimbursement for Travel Expenses: The NWESD 189 shall reimburse staff member(s) or officer(s) of the NWESD 189 for approved travel expenses. The Superintendent shall establish a reimbursement rate schedule for expenses incurred by staff or officers of the NWESD 189 (see Policy 6213).
17. Personnel Records: The NWESD 189 office shall maintain the records which contain information concerning the employees, including personnel folders. These records are open to inspection by employee(s) upon written request, with a NWESD 189 representative present.
18. Closure/Delay Because of Abnormal Conditions: During periods of inclement weather or other conditions, the following will apply:
    1. The NWESD 189 offices will remain open unless conditions are extremely hazardous as determined by the Superintendent.
    2. Remote/cooperative program staff shall follow the closure/delay status of the school district in which they are physically located.
    3. The Superintendent will make every effort to update the NWESD Weather Hotline and send an email to all NWESD Anacortes staff by 6:00 AM in the event of inclement weather necessitating closure/delay.
    4. A delayed opening, as determined by the Superintendent, is also an option that might be used when conditions are unfavorable in the early morning.
    5. Employees who miss work because of road or weather conditions must make up the time, take annual leave or floating holiday, or have a deduction from pay unless the Superintendent approves the use of emergency leave.
    6. Work days missed because of office closure called by the Superintendent because of road or weather conditions may be made up, vacation used, emergency leave granted, deducted from pay, or other work arrangements as determined by the supervisor and Superintendent. Time missed of one (1) hour or less need not be made up.
    7. Other closure conditions may be determined by the Superintendent.
19. Legal Defense: The NWESD 189 may arrange for and pay the costs of defense, attorney fees, and any obligation of payment arising from an action, claim, or proceeding instituted against a director, officer, employee, or agent of the NWESD 189 arising out of such person’s performance or failure of performance of duties for the NWESD 189 unless the court finds that such person was not acting in good faith or within the scope of his or her employment with or duties for the NWESD 189.
20. Payroll Warrants: Payroll warrants should be issued on the last working day of the NWESD 189 office each month. The pay period cut-off date is approximately the 15th day of each month. Employees will only be paid for hourly or supplemental time verified as worked via their signature on the time sheet.
21. Mandatory Deductions: Each employee’s wages are subject to the following deductions:
    1. Federal Income Tax
    2. Social Security/Medicare
    3. State Industrial Accident Insurance
    4. State Employee Retirement System (if eligible)
    5. Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave
22. Grievance Procedure: A grievance is any condition, action or lack of action, by the NWESD 189 which the employee believes to be unjust. A grievance may result from an alleged misinterpretation or misapplication of NWESD 189 policy, site procedures, regulations, or any other acts which the individual judges to be detrimental of his/her welfare. Matters for which another method of review is available or required by law shall be excluded from this grievance procedure. Grievances shall be processed as rapidly as possible as delineated in Policy 5274.

First Reading: 08/27/84 (as 4530)

First Reading: 02/22/89 (as 2260, 4710)
Second Reading: 03/22/89 (as 2260, 4710)
Second Reading: 01/23/91 (as 4530)
Revised: 12/18/91 (as 2260)
Revised: 01/22/92 (as 4550)
Revised: 02/26/92 (as 4550, 4710)
Revised: 02/26/97 (as 4710)
First Reading: 10/22/97 (as 4515)
Second Reading: 11/24/97 (as 4515)
Revised: 12/22/97 (as 4515)
Revised: 05/23/01 (recodified 5022)
Revised: 03/27/02
Revised: 02/26/03
Revised: 02/27/19

Reference:

RCW 28A.310.080
RCW 28A.310.210
RCW 28A.310.220

Cross Reference:

Policies 4330, 5111, 5274, 6213, 6511

Date Revised: 2/27/19