REMOTE WORK OPTION & COVID-19
REMOTE WORK OPTION AND COVID-19 FAQs
MNPS HR issued clarifying information related to remote work guidance on January 14, 2022. MNPS is following the CDC’s guidance on isolation procedures that can be found here: COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation | CDC.
How is a sub requested if a teacher is working remotely? The teacher should inform their school administration. Then either the principal or a bookkeeper can put in the request for a substitute using Code 22. This is the same procedure that was used for the COVID-19 sick leave. Whoever is entering the absence and request for the sub must leave a comment if the absences is because of an employee’s positive test or a child’s.
How many days may an employee work remotely after a positive test for themselves or their minor child? An employee may work remotely for up to 5 days from the day after their test is taken. Day 1 is the day after your test specimen was collected or if you were remote working because you were symptomatic and awaiting results, then Day 1 is when your symptoms started.
Here are some examples:
Assume that an employee takes a COVID-19 test on Sunday because they were experiencing symptoms and receives their positive result on Tuesday. Then the employee can remote work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. This is a total of 5 remote workdays.
Assume that an employee takes a COVID-19 test on Tuesday, after work hours, and receives results on Tuesday. The employee could remote work on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. This is a total of 3 remote workdays. The employee would NOT be eligible for remote work on Monday or Tuesday. If the employee had a fever or did not have improving symptoms, the employee should access sick leave until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved.
If an employee that is eligible for remote work under this guidance is symptomatic 5 days after a positive COVID test, are they permitted to continue working remotely? No. If an employee is still required to isolate because of continuing fever and symptoms that are not improving, then the employee should use their sick leave.
If a child’s physician recommends that the child isolate for 10 days, is the employee permitted to work remotely for 10 days? No. An employee is permitted to work remotely for up to 5 days after a positive test. After the 5th day from the positive test, an employee should use their sick or personal leave to care for a child.
How often can an employee work remotely under this guidance? An employee may access remote work twice for two different qualifying events. A qualifying event is 1) an employee is symptomatic, awaiting COVID-19 test results and is well-enough to work, 2) an employee that tests positive for COVID-19, or 3) an employee whose minor child tests positive for COVID-19 and the employee is still able to work remotely. In no event, under this guidance, can an employee remote work for more than 10 days.
As a reminder, contact your principal ASAP to clarify expectations for remote work, which may include teaching virtually. If you need a hotspot due to Wi-Fi connectivity at your home, you may request a hotspot to use during your five days of remote work.
If you are a member of MNEA and need assistance with remote work options, please email info@mnea.com.