The Stanley-Boyd School Board met in special board session Monday, August 3 in order to review local district policies related to Title IX federal requirements as they pertain to the school district.

Previously scheduled to review the district’s Title IX policies filed under agenda item 3.3.2 at its regular July meeting, the special school board meeting was needed due to the district not hearing back from its legal counsel prior to the regular board meeting the previous week. Title IX refers to federal civil rights legislation from 1972 meant to protect against discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. The district policies reviewed on Monday were those related to Student Harassment, Equal Opportunity Employment, and Equal Educational Opportunity respectively. A link on the district’s website on the left side of the board of education home page (reached under “district” on the website’s home page) allows one to review these “state mandated policies,” along with many others. Title IX policy review wasn’t the only item on Monday night’s special meeting agenda, however. Along with reviewing old policies there was a new law to consider, identified as being the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, or FFCRA. The Department of Labor website at www.dol.gov gives the rundown on this more recent legislation.

Related chiefly to employee paid leave as it pertains to the coronavirus, the FFCRA stipulates that “certain employers” must “provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.” Stating that the provisions will last “from the effective date through December 31, 2020,” the Department of Labor website goes on to specify just what that means.

In short, the FFCRA provides that employers pay two weeks of up to 80 hours of the employee’s wages at the regular rate if the employee is quarantined pursuant to federal, state, local, or general health provider order “and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis,” or else pay two weeks of up to 80 hours at two-thirds of the employees regular wage because of a bona fide (good faith) need to care for an individual subject to quarantine or a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable “for reasons related to COVID-19.” An additional 10 weeks of paid leave at two-thirds of the employee’s regular rate if employed for at least 30 days and has a bona fide need for leave “to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed due to reasons related to COVID-19.” Employers covered by the FFCRA include “certain public employers” as well as private employers with fewer than 500 employees. It is important to note that small business with fewer than 50 employees may qualify for exemption if paid leave “would jeopardize the viability of the business as a going concern.” Moreover, where leave is foreseeable, the FFCRA stipulates that employees should provide notice to their employer “as is practicable,” the Department of Labor website relates.

Getting back to the school side of things and employee eligibility, the FFCRA stipulates six reasons for those employees unable to work or telework, as follows: “1. The employee is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19.

2. The employee has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19; 3. The employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis; 4. The employee is caring for an individual subject to an order described in (1) self-quarantine as described in (2); 5. The employee is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19; or, 6. The employee is experiencing any other substantially-similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor and Treasury.”

More information on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act is available by going to www.dol.gov and typing “Families First Coronavirus Response Act” into the search bar.