At the DeSoto ISD School Board meeting held in January 2021, trustees approved a locally-developed coronavirus work response resolution, now known as the DeSoto Cares COVID Response Resolution. This allows district employees to continue receiving some of the benefits originally offered under the 2020 Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the FFCRA), employers including DeSoto ISD received funds that required certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. When this provision expired in December 2020, it required all district employees who were allowed to work virtually to return to their physical work locations unless they presented specific documentation to Human Resources.
“This expiration left little to no options for impacted employees and their families aside from using their personal leave time,” said Mia Stroy, DeSoto ISD chief of human resources. “The Board and the Administration were concerned about the employee’s ability to care for themselves and their family during this pandemic.”
The DeSoto Cares COVID Response Resolution allows all district employees, contractual or non-contractual, salaried and non-salaried, who have been instructed NOT to report to work due to reasons related to COVID-19 to receive additional paid leave without using state or local leave time based on one of the criteria below:
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The employee is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19.
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The employee is advised to self-quarantine related to COVID-19 by a health care provider.
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The employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis.
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The employee is caring for an individual subject to an order described in (1) or self-quarantine as described in (2).
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The employee is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19.
Employees granted leave under this resolution will only be granted up to two weeks or 80 business hours unless authorized by an administrator and will receive 100% of their pay instead of the lesser amount directed under FFCRA.
How to Receive Benefits Under This Resolution:
If an employee meets any of the aforementioned reasons, please ensure the following steps are taken:
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Employee reports information to supervisor.
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The supervisor completes the CRT investigation form on the COVID-19 Dashboard
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The supervisor and the employee will follow the steps on the COVID-19 reporting procedures document.
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The employee will complete the DeSoto CARES Form to request to work from home.
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The employee should schedule and obtain a COVID-19 test no later than 48 hours after contact or exposure to the virus.
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The employee should submit test results to Human Resources immediately upon receipt.
Once Human Resources receives the test results, and it is positive, a determination will be made whether, or not, the employee is granted the opportunity to work from home.
To return to work, employees will still need to follow the recommended isolation precautions and provide a negative COVID-19 test result.
“DeSoto ISD is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of its employees, students, and their families and strives to offer additional support and resources where possible,” said Stroy.
The Human Resources Department is aware that each situation is different and has developed a Frequently Asked Questions document to answer some common questions and scenarios related to this recently approved resolution.
Employees can locate the FAQ document via the Human Resources webpage, the COVID-19 dashboard, and the DeSoto ISD Reconnect page. The Benefits team is also readily available to support additional questions via email at [email protected].