ELIGIBILITY

Kalamazoo College student-employees (“employees”) are eligible for Sick time and are subject to the provisions below.

NOTICE and USES

The College provides all eligible employees with Sick time, which may be used for certain medical or personal reasons, including, but not limited to, those listed in the Michigan Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA). Circumstances for which Sick time may be used:

• The employee’s or the employee’s family member’s mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of the employee’s or the employee’s family member’s mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or preventative medical care for the employee or the employee’s family member. 
• If the employee or the employee’s family member is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, for medical care or psychological or other counseling for physical or psychological injury or disability; to obtain services from a victim services organization; to relocate due to domestic violence or sexual assault; to obtain legal services; or to participate in any civil or criminal proceedings related to or resulting from the domestic violence or sexual assault; 
• For meetings at a child’s school or place of care related to the child’s health or disability, or the effects of domestic violence or sexual assault on the child; and 
• For closure of the employee’s place of business by order of a public official due to a public health emergency; for an employee’s need to care for a child whose school or place of care has been closed by order of a public official due to a public health emergency; or when it has been determined by the health authorities having jurisdiction or by a health care provider that the employee’s or employee’s family member’s presence in the community would jeopardize the health of others because of the employee’s or family member’s exposure to a communicable disease, regardless of whether the employee or family member has actually contracted the communicable disease. 

For this policy, “family member” includes biological, adopted, or foster child, stepchild or legal ward, or a child to whom the eligible employee stand in loco parentis, a biological parent, foster parent, stepparent, or adoptive parent or a legal guardian of an eligible employee or an employee’s spouse/domestic partner or an individual who stood in loco parentis when the eligible employee was a minor child, a grandparent, a grandchild, or a biological, foster, adoptive sibling or any other individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.

EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES

Employees must request use of Sick time. Supervisors may not provide Sick time without employee’s request. To prevent unnecessary burden on co-workers or disruption to operations, employees must notify their direct supervisor of any need to take Sick time (including absence, late arrival, or early leaving). Employees must provide seven (7) days’ notice when the need for Sick time is foreseeable.  Employees must provide this notice to his/her/their supervisor as soon as possible and practicable when the need to use Sick time is unforeseeable.

Employees must follow all College rules for calling in to report absences, tardiness, or leaving early, including compliance with departmental policy. Failure to comply with departmental policy may subject the employee to discipline under College/departmental policy, but not exclude the employee from using available Sick time.

If an eligible employee has been absent from work because of his/her own illness, injury, or health condition (as defined in the ESTA) for a period of three (3) consecutive working days, the College reserves the right to request documentation from a healthcare provider indicating that the eligible employee is able to return to work. The employer will reimburse the employee for out-of-pocket costs incurred to obtain the requested documentation. When the College requests documentation, the College will give the employee three (3) days to provide it.

ACCRUAL and BALANCES

Upon hire or transfer into an eligible position, an eligible employee will accrue Earned Sick time for time worked on and after February 21, 2025 at a rate of 0.034 per hour, which equates to one (1.0) Sick hour for every thirty (30) hours worked. Sick time is accrued on all hours up to 40 hours per week for which the employee is paid, excluding overtime hours. Accumulated but unused Sick time may be carried over from one benefit year to the next benefit year (July 1- June 30). There is no cap on the amount of Sick time that may be carried over from benefit year to benefit year. Less-than-full-time employees will earn a prorated amount of Sick time based on the number of hours worked.

GRANTING SICK TIME

Sick time is available to be used as it is earned, except where noted below. Payment for Sick time is computed at the eligible employee’s straight-time hourly or base rate. If an Sick time request is for a reason listed in ESTA, the College will grant the request, provided that: The employee has the amount of time available, the employee has complied with the responsibilities outlined in this policy, and the employee has not utilized more than seventy-two (72) hours of Sick time in the current benefit year (July 1- June 30). Once the employee has utilized seventy-two (72) hours of Sick time in the current benefit year, all Sick time requests, regardless of the reason, are subject to supervisor approval in consideration of business operations.

A new employee, hired on or after February 21, 2025, may use Sick time upon attaining their 120th calendar day of employment.

RECORDING SICK TIME

Employees are required to log Sick time in accordance with departmental practices, such as through HornetHQ. The amount of Sick time accrued is available on HornetHQ. Eligible employees may use Sick Time in 15-minute increments.

DEPARTURE and PAYOUT

No payments will be made to employees for any unused Sick time when employment ends. If an employee separates from employment and is rehired by Kalamazoo College within two (2) months of the separation, the College will reinstate previously accrued and unused Sick time. The reinstated employee will be permitted to use that Sick time and accrue additional Sick time upon reinstatement.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)