I. Purpose
Anne Arundel Community College (“College”) provides Sick Leave to Eligible Employees. This procedure for Sick Leave (“Procedure”) establishes the eligibility criteria and accrual rates for such leave, and the process for administering such leave.
II. Scope and Applicability
A. This procedure is adopted to implement the Interim Annual and Sick Leave Policy (“Policy”).
B. This Procedure applies to Eligible Employees.
III. Definitions
A. All capitalized terms in these Procedures have the meanings provided in the Policy.
B. All other capitalized terms in these Procedures have the following meanings:
1. Accrued Sick Leave means paid Sick Leave earned by an Eligible Employee at the rates set forth in Section IV of this Procedure.
2. Credit Part-time Faculty means those employed to teach courses at the Collegiate Level on a course-by-course basis as demand requires, with the arrangement to be made by written assignment.
3. Noncredit Part-time Faculty means faculty who are employed on a course-by-course basis to teach Noncredit Courses as demand requires, with the arrangement made by written assignment.
4. Noncredit Courses are classes that are not offered at the Collegiate Level.
5. Eligible Employees include ASO Employees, PSSO Employees, Faculty, employees of the General Counsel’s office, Vice Presidents, and Temporary Employees.
6. Family Member means:
a. a biological child, an adopted child, a foster child, or a stepchild of the Employee;
b. a child for whom the Employee has legal or physical custody or guardianship;
c. a child for whom the Employee stands in loco parentis,
regardless of the child’s age;
d. a biological parent, an adoptive parent, a foster parent, or a stepparent of the Employee or of the Employee’s spouse;
e. the legal guardian of the Employee or the ward of the Employee or of the Employee’s spouse;
f. an individual who acted as a parent or stood in loco parentis to the Employee or the Employee’s spouse when the Employee or the Employee’s spouse was a minor;
g. the spouse of the Employee;
h. a domestic partner of the Employee;
i. a biological grandparent, an adopted grandparent, a foster grandparent, or a step-grandparent of the Employee;
j. a biological grandchild, an adopted grandchild, a foster grandchild, or a step-grandchild of the Employee; or
k. a biological sibling, an adopted sibling, a foster sibling, or a stepsibling of the Employee.
7. Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, means 29 U.S.C. §§ 2601–2654 (2006).
8. FMLA Leave means unpaid leave to Eligible Employees for the birth or adoption of a child, placement of child for foster care, to care for a family member with a serious health condition, when the employee has a serious health condition, for military caregivers, and in certain exigent services related to military service.
9. Part-Time Basis means regularly works at least twenty (20) hours per week.
10. Sick Leave means an authorized absence from work:
a. Because of the Eligible Employee’s illness, injury or medical condition, or need to attend medical and dental appointments;
b. To enable the Eligible Employee to care for a Family Member with an illness, injury or medical condition; or to accompany the Family Member to medical or dental appointments;
c. For maternity or paternity leave; or
d. For an absence due to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking committed against the Employee or the Employee’s Family Member.
11. Unauthorized Absence means the following:
a. Absences for which proper reporting procedures have not been followed;
b. Absences without Supervisor approval;
c. Absences taken without Annual or Sick Leave being available to the Employee, unless an exception applies;
d. Absences from work for which documentation is required by a College policy or procedure and has not been provided when requested by the Supervisor or HR; or
e. Absences from work as a result of not returning to work from an approved leave of absence on the date indicated in approved leave of absence paperwork.
IV. Sick Leave Accrual and Procedures
A. Accrual of Sick Leave
1. ASO Employees, PSSO Employees, Twelve-Month Faculty, employees of the General Counsel’s office, and the Vice Presidents
a. Full-Time ASO Employees, PSSO Employees, Twelve-month Faculty, employees of the General Counsel’s office and the Vice Presidents accrue fifteen (15) days of Sick Leave each fiscal year, at a rate of five (5) hours/pay period. Sick Leave for Eligible Employees with appointments for less than one year and/or who are employed on a Part-Time Basis shall be earned on a prorated basis.
b. Sick Leave carries over from one year to the next.
c. Twelve-Month Faculty do not accrue additional Sick Leave for teaching during the Summer Term or for overload teaching.
2. Ten-Month Faculty
a. Ten-Month Faculty will be credited on July 1 with fifteen (15) days of Sick Leave. Sick Leave for Eligible Ten-Month Faculty with appointments for less than one year and/or who are employed on a Part-Time Basis shall be earned on a prorated basis.
b. Sick Leave carries over from one year to the next.
c. Ten-Month Faculty do not accrue additional Sick Leave for teaching during the Summer Term or for overload teaching.
3. Part-Time Faculty
a. Part-time faculty will be credited at the start of each contract the following amounts of Sick Leave.
1) Part-Time Faculty will be credited with Sick Leave while teaching during any term, based on their contract faculty load.
a) For Credit Part-Time Faculty, the contract hours are determined by multiplying the contract faculty load hours (FLH) by 33.75 (15*2.25 allowance for non-classroom time). That amount is then divided by 30 to determine the Sick Leave that will be accrued under the contract.
i. For example, a 3 FLH contract earns 3.38 ((3FLHx33.75)/30) hours of Sick Leave.
b) For Non-Credit Part-Time Faculty, the contract hours are determined for:
i. Instructional Contracts: by multiplying the instructional hours by 2.25. That amount is then divided by 30 to determine the Sick Leave that will be accrued under the contract.
a) For example, an 8-hour instructional contract earns 0.6 (8hr x 2.25 allowance for nonclassroom time)/30) hours of Sick Leave.
ii. Non-instructional Contracts: by dividing the non-instructional hours by 30 to determine the Sick Leave that will be accrued under the contract.
a) For example, an 8-hour non-instructional contract earns 0.267 (8hr/30) hours of Sick Leave.
4. Temporary Employees
Temporary Employees accrue Sick Leave at a rate of .033333 for each hour worked in a pay period.
B. The amount of Sick Leave available for use during any pay period is the Sick Leave balance at the time of the request.
C. Carryover of Sick Leave
1. For all Employees, unused Sick Leave is cumulative except when the Employee has had a break in service of more than one year, or 18 months for Part-Time Faculty, in which case it is forfeited. Such an Employee who is rehired and begins their employment with the College within one year of the termination of employment, or 18 months for Part-Time Faculty, shall have their Sick Leave balance restored.
2. Any Employee who has a break in service of more than one year, or 18 months for Part-Time Faculty, will forfeit all Sick Leave and shall accumulate Sick Leave from the date of reemployment.
D. Use of Sick Leave
1. Employees may immediately use any Sick Leave that they have accrued.
2. Sick leave hours shall be charged in increments of not less than one half (1/2)-hour except in some short-term disability cases, as determined by HR.
3. An Employee who recovers enough to be able to return to work on a part-time basis may continue to draw on the individual’s accrued Sick Leave until it is exhausted.
4. The College may require reasonable proof of illness or injury or other authorized reasons for taking Sick Leave before making payment during Sick Leave. A Supervisor may require verification from a physician to be provided to and maintained by HR for Sick leave of three (3) or more consecutive working days. An Employee who fails to furnish such proof when requested may be charged Annual Leave or Compensatory Leave if available, or shall be placed on Leave Without Pay status, if the Employee has no accrued Annual Leave.
5. Supervisors should contact HR if it is anticipated that an Employee will utilize Sick Leave for more than five (5) consecutive workdays to determine if leave should be designated as Family Medical Leave (FMLA).
a. Paid holidays and college closings that occur during a period of illness, injury, or disability shall not be charged to Sick Leave, except for certain essential employees, as determined by Human Resources.
b. An Employee whose Sick Leave is exhausted may elect to use Annual Leave if available. Employees with an extended illness should contact HR concerning short and long-term disability benefits.
E. Special Procedures for Twelve-Month and Ten-Month Faculty Sick Leave
1. When short-term illness necessitates absence, the Twelve-Month or Ten-Month Faculty member shall notify the Supervisor, and the Supervisor and members of the department shall arrange or attempt to arrange coverage of classes. The Faculty member will not be required to find their own replacement. This assistance shall be provided as a professional courtesy without extra compensation, and Sick Leave will not be charged. However, in the event the College provides a paid substitute, or if the class is not met, Sick Leave shall be charged.
2. In computing periods of less than a full week, the duties missed shall be compared to a normal full week’s duties and any Sick Leave shall be charged for the portion of the duties missed according to the following formula: Load hours missed during week X 40 hours /Load hours assigned for the week = Hours charged to Sick Leave Balance.
3. Days of registration duty and days that final examinations are in progress shall be charged in full-day increments.
F. Unauthorized Absences and Leave Without Pay
1. An Employee who has:
a. exhausted all paid Sick Leave;
b. is not in another approved paid leave status (e.g., using Annual Leave or Compensatory Leave) or approved unpaid leave status (e.g., FMLA Leave, or Leave approved as a Disability Accommodation); and
c. an Unauthorized Absence,
will be placed on Leave Without Pay status and will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal, pursuant to the College’s Employee Progressive Discipline Procedure. unless there is an extenuating circumstance that has been approved by the appropriate Vice President and the Executive Director of HR, or designee.
G. Termination of Employment
1. Upon separation from the College, Employees who were hired before July 1, 1993 shall be paid the dollar value of the frozen Sick Leave balance documented in their personnel files as of October 31, 1993 after review of their current Sick Leave balance. If an Employee has to use this leave because of an illness and it is not replenished, this unreplenished amount shall be subtracted from the total frozen Sick Leave payout.
2. Employees hired on or after July 1, 1993, receive no payment for unused Sick Leave upon termination of employment.
3. Sick Leave earned at the College may be used to extend creditable time with the Maryland State Retirement System at the time of retirement subject to the terms and conditions of the Retirement System.
4. Sick Leave may not be used during the last two weeks of employment without medical documentation. Exceptions, when necessary, may be granted by the Executive Director of Human Resources.
Procedure Title: Interim Sick Leave Procedure
Policy Category: Human Resources
Policy Owner: Vice President of Learning Resources Management
Policy Administrator: Executive Director of Human Resources
Contact Information: Suzanne Boyer; 410-777-2045; slboyer1@aacc.edu
Approval Date: June 23, 2025
Effective Date: July 1, 2025
History: N/A
Applies to: Eligible Employees
Related Policies: Interim Annual and Sick Leave Policy
Related Procedures: Interim Annual Leave Procedure
Forms/Guidelines:
Relevant Laws: