Employee Handbook Revamp: Is your school prepared to return to action in the 2020-2021 school year?

The Employee handbook is an essential compilation of critical policies, rules, and laws applicable to your school, and should address:

New Telework Expectations:

In order to be fully prepared in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Employee Handbook should include a policy regarding telework expectations for exempt and nonexempt employees, including requirements for the remote workspace, confidentiality, taking/recording meal and rest periods, expense reimbursements, rules of conduct, and employee absences.

Updates to State and Federal Law:

As schools must comply with annual legislative updates, the Employee Handbook must be revised to reflect new and updated laws, such as protected classes and hiring considerations, lactation accommodation requirements, employee leaves of absence, and other legally required changes.

New Stricter Standards for Professional Boundaries:

It is imperative that every school maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date Professional Boundaries policy in the Employee Handbook to ensure a safe and healthy educational environment. This is especially important given a newly expanded statute of limitations which allows students to bring childhood sexual abuse claims until age forty (40). As a result, schools should update their professional boundaries policies and provide comprehensive training to employees regarding appropriate staff and student interactions.

Recruitment and Retention of Highly Qualified Employees:

As charter schools continually strive to recruit and retain highly qualified employees, all schools should consider ways in which to remain a competitive public school employer, including examining employee evaluation and compensation, discipline/dismissal, and education assistance policies in the Employee Handbook.

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Contact YM&C with questions regarding this Legal Alert: