Important Update: Extension of Special COVID-19 Leave Provision — Community Service Leave

In consultation with the Office of State Human Resources, the University of North Carolina System has updated the community service leave section of its COVID-19 work and leave provisions. The update extends the ability of state employees to use community service leave to help combat statewide COVID-19-related staff shortages in K-12 schools through April 15, 2022. Details of the updated provision are below:

• Employees may use community service leave to serve as a substitute teacher or in another role (such as a substitute school bus driver or cafeteria worker) that a school or school district temporarily cannot staff.
• An employee cannot use community service leave for any portion of the day in which the employee is either participating in a religious assembly or promoting religious activities at a private school.
• Previously, employees could use their annual allotment of 24 hours of community service leave, with supervisor approval, to work in North Carolina schools as substitute teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria staff and in other needed roles. Employees now have an additional 24 hours of community service leave they can use when working at schools to alleviate staff shortages related to COVID-19.
• State employees can continue to receive compensation provided by the school districts for this community service leave initiative through April 15, 2022.
• NC State must track the number of employees who use community service leave for the purpose above, the number of hours that they volunteer and the school districts where they volunteer. University Human Resources has created a Google form to record that information and has distributed it to unit HR representatives

How to Request Community Service Leave to Alleviate COVID-19-Related Staff Shortages

NC State employees who would like to use community service leave to help at schools experiencing staff shortages related to COVID-19 should first talk to their supervisors. Employees should not enter the time spent at a school for this purpose into WolfTime. They should report that time to the HR staff in their college, division or department. An HR lead will enter the time in the form mentioned above, and the WolfTime manager will enter the time into WolfTime under “Other Management Approved Leave”. If you have questions about this process, contact Erin Amari, who oversees the WolfTime system, at elamari@ncsu.edu.