Staff FAQs - COVID-19

Certified, contracted staff who are regularly scheduled to be on duty during this school closure will be paid on our regular pay cycle.

Employees are not allowed to work other employment during paid work hours.

Classified staff will be paid and should expect their regular pay cycle to continue. This applies to staff who are full-time and part-time, whether paid hourly or salary. Part-time employees should work no more than their approved part-time hours.

During this closure, overtime for all employees must be approved in advance and directly communicated to you by your supervisor.

Substitute staff of any category (teachers, paras, teacher assistants or secretaries) who were serving in a long-term assignment on March 12, 2020 and resumed work in that same assignment on March 23, 2020 will be paid for any duty days worked. Long-term substitutes will continue to be paid in alignment with Kelly Services timelines for the duty days they work through the end of the school year.

Send an email to Emma Gray at egray@kcpublicschools.org or Marilyn Overton at moverton@kcpublicschools.org.

At this time, BOE is closed. You may email your KCPS Return-to-Work Release Form to Emma Gray at egray@kcpublicschools.org or Marilyn Overton at moverton@kcpublicschools.org.

HR will still need to clear you to return-to-work status. When HR approves your return to work, you and your supervisor will receive email confirmation from HR. Until you receive this email confirmation, you are not cleared to report to work.

Schedules may vary depending on the needs of the district and are being communicated to you by your supervisor. Certain employee groups will be given adjusted hours in order to address current needs. (i.e. food distribution; instructional staff)

All requests for employment verification should be sent directly to UConfirm at www.uconfirm.com.  Any questions, send an email to LaShonda Watson at lwatson@kcpublicschools.org or Emma Gray at egray@kcpublicschools.org.

All employees must be available to work during paid work hours. All district employees are expected to follow our PTO/Vacation policy.

If an employee believes they have been exposed to Covid-19 or lives in a household under quarantine, please immediately notify your supervisor and contact Marilyn Overton at moverton@kcpublicschools.org or Emma Gray at egray@kcpublicschools.org.

If an employee believes they are high risk and is self-quarantining, please immediately notify your supervisor and contact Marilyn Overton at moverton@kcpublicschools.org or Emma Gray at egray@kcpublicschools.org.

Certain employees will be deemed critical in nature in order to continue the operations of the school district. This will include various individual employees or groups of employees throughout this time period, depending upon the necessary work each day.

If an employee is deemed critical at any time, they will be notified by their supervisor.

Failure to report to work as requested without medical excuse will trigger use of PTO and Vacation. If PTO/Vacation becomes exhausted, unpaid time off will be used until the employee reports to work or until your employee group is no longer called upon.

If an employee believes they have been exposed to Covid-19 or lives in a household under quarantine, please immediately notify your supervisor and contact Marilyn Overton at moverton@kcpublicschools.org or Emma Gray at egray@kcpublicschools.org.

If an employee believes they are high risk and is self-quarantining, please immediately notify your supervisor and contact Marilyn Overton atmoverton@kcpublicschools.org or Emma Gray at egray@kcpublicschools.org.

Blue Cross Benefits:
If you have specific questions regarding the use of your medical and/or dental benefits, contact Blue Cross at the customer service number on the back of your insurance card. Log into your account at MyBlueKC.com for up to date information regarding enhanced benefits due to COVID-19.

Voluntary Benefits:
BenefitsDirect’s customer service is available to assist you with all of your voluntary plan benefit questions. This includes insurance plans other than Blue Cross. You can reach their customer service from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at (833) 672-0064.

Scheduled Screenings
An email will be sent soon regarding the status of screening and options to earn your 2,500 points.

New Hires
You have 30 days to complete your benefit enrollment. The medical and dental benefits will be effective after 30 days of employment. Any voluntary benefits you elect will be effective the first of the month following 30 days of employment. There are three ways to complete your enrollment:

1. You may self-enroll by going to the BenefitsDirect website:www.benefits-direct.com/kcps. Go to “how to enroll” and click on “self-enroll now.” Please contact the Benefits Direct call center at (833) 672-0064 for assistance.
2. You may also enroll by phone if you contact the Benefits Direct call center and press “option 2” to speak with a benefit counselor.
3. You may complete the Benefits Election Form in your benefits orientation folder and email it to info@benefits-direct.com. Please call them to confirm they have received your forms.

Planning to retire
If you have not met with Darlene Saunders to discuss the decisions you’ll need to make when you retire, contact her at dsaunder@kcpublicschools.org to make an appointment.

For assistance completing forms requested by your insurance provider, requiring employer provided information, email our Benefits Specialists, Janet Tircuit at jsharp@kcpublicschools.org or Darlene Saunders at dsaunder@kcpublicschools.org.

For Wellness questions, contact Rachel Mize, our Wellness Coordinator at Rachel.Mize@kcpublicschools.org.

KCPS offers the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through New Directions. It is a free resource for staff to speak confidentially with a provider. You can call 24/7, even on holidays, at (800) 624-5544 or log on at www.ndbh.com for instruction and a link for live chat and confidential email. Our password code for services is KCPS.

Non-Pandemic Related Illness
If an employee becomes ill, or is caring for an immediate family member who is ill, with documented symptoms or a condition unrelated to a pandemic illness, FMLA board policy applies.

Symptoms of Pandemic Illness – Self Quarantine
Per the Department of Labor guidelines, as of April 1, 2020, if the employee becomes ill, or is caring for an immediate family member who is ill, with documented symptoms of a pandemic illness, the employee shall be granted paid administrative leave for any duty days that fall within a 14 calendar day period. Following that time period, if an employee is unable to return to duty because they or their family member is not yet free of fever and symptoms for over 24 hours without the use of medication, the employee should contact Human Resources to request additional paid time off.

Diagnosed Pandemic Illness or Exposure – Mandatory Quarantine
If an employee is notified by a health care provider or travel authority that they are required to quarantine due to having traveled through a compromised region, have tested positive for a pandemic illness, or have had an immediate family member test positive for a pandemic illness, the employee shall be granted paid administrative leave for any duty days that fall within a 14 calendar day period. Following that time period, if an employee is unable to return to duty or feels they should self-quarantine due to exposure, any subsequent leave will be charged to the employee’s available accrued PTO/Vacation leave.

An employee shall be granted paid administrative leave for any duty days that fall within a 14 calendar day period. Following that time period, if an employee is unable to return to duty or feels they should self-quarantine due to exposure, any subsequent leave will be charged to the employee’s available accrued PTO/Vacation time.

Employees should seek the guidance of a health care provider and take whatever action they feel is necessary based on that guidance. We ask that staff immediately take all precautionary measures as advised by public health officials and inform the district by completing the COVID-19 Form on the KCPS website. If you have questions, please immediately contact Marilyn Overton at moverton@kcpublicschools.org or Emma Gray at egray@kcpublicschools.org.

If you are absent due to a pandemic illness or exposure, we are waiving the requirement to provide a doctor’s note due to the visit demands on our healthcare partners at this time. For all other absences unrelated to a pandemic illness, a doctor’s note may be required.

We ask that staff immediately take all precautionary measures as advised by public health officials and inform the district by completing the COVID-19 Form. If you have questions immediately contact Marilyn Overton at moverton@kcpublicschools.org or Emma Gray at egray@ckpublicschools.org.