This page was last updated on November 4, 2024 at 10:33 AM.
Overview
Absence for the reasons indicated below is excusable without charge (in most instances) to annual leave, compensatory time or sick leave balances for the reasons outlined in this section when supported by the appropriate documentation and with the approval of the employee’s division head. The division head may request additional documentation from the employee.
Funerals/Bereavement
Immediate Family or Household Member
The definition of immediate family includes a parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, spouse or parent of a spouse, registered domestic partner, or any parent of, or any relative residing in the employee's household.
Absence is not to exceed four (4) workdays in the case of death in the immediate family. One (1) additional day of absence reasonable travel may be approved when such absence is necessary because of attendance at the funeral of a relative in the immediate family at a place remote from the City of New York. The absence for travel must occur on a working day within either five (5) business days or seven (7) calendar days, either before or after the funeral, and be supported by appropriate documentation.
Employees represented by the UFT and CSA as well as Management Pay Plan employees may delay bereavement leave, in whole or in part, to be taken at any point within three (3) calendar months after the date of death of a covered family member provided that the delayed bereavement leave is in connection with a funeral or memorial service.
The designated office head/supervisor may request additional documentation from the employee (e.g. if the employee delays bereavement leave due to a memorial service). Managers are encouraged to provide documentation. All employees are encouraged to retain documentation for their own records.If you require an additional day for travel, you must also submit a PD-19 Application for Excuse of Absence with Pay for Administrative Employees, which must be approved by the employee’s supervisor.
Relative Outside Immediate Family or Household
Absence of not more than one day due to attendance at the funeral of a brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, niece, nephew, aunt, uncle of employee or aunt, uncle, or grandparent of spouse or registered domestic partner, who is not a member of the immediate household may be granted by the employee’s supervisor.
Associate Employee or Co-Worker
Absence for the purpose of attending, in a representative capacity, the funeral of an associate employee or other person connected with the department. The approval of the supervisor or appropriate office head is sufficient documentation for this purpose. Please note that up to four (4) hours of excused absence is granted for this purpose.
Jury Duty
DOE employees who serve on Jury Duty are entitled to receive full salary for the time they serve. Employees are not entitled to the per diem allowances paid by the City, County or State Courts. Jury Duty served is considered excused if the employee follows the procedures outlined below:
- Submit the PD-19 Application for Excuse of Absence with Pay for Administrative Employees.
- Attach official documentation certifying dates of service.
- Return to work on days when an adjournment is granted. Generally, this means an employee will be excused only for the number of hours spent at court, plus travel time as appropriate, with the submission of documentation from the courts.
If an employee serving on the Grand Jury is required to serve only half days (either morning or afternoon), the employee is expected to report to work the remaining half day. If serving intermittent days, the employee must inform their supervisor in advance of the scheduled days.
DOE employees will be paid their regular salary while on Jury Duty. However, if you receive a paycheck for services rendered as a juror, you must submit any check received for jury duty service (other than carfare) to the NYC Public Schools. Employees are required to endorse the check to New York City Public Schools, and submit the check to their HR Director, Timekeeper, or Payroll Secretary for processing. Please make a copy of the check for your records.
Employees are granted up to three (3) hours of excused absence for the purpose of obtaining a postponement, provided they work the balance of that particular day.
Court Attendance Under Subpoena/Court Order
An employee may be granted excused time for court attendance under subpoena or court order when an employee appears in a case which neither he/she nor anyone related to him/her in any way has any financial or personal interest whatsoever and where the employee’s attendance is not required as a result of any other employment, occupation, or voluntary act on his/her part. The employee should submit the PD-19 Application for Excuse of Absence with Pay for Administrative Employees with accompanying subpoena. The form must include a statement from the employee’s supervisor that he/she has seen such a subpoena and must state that neither he/she nor anyone related to him/her in any way has any financial interest.
Employees who need to attend court for personal reasons, including DOE matters in which they are a party, must use their annual or compensatory time.
Quarantine
An approved absence will be granted to employees who are quarantined by appropriate City, State, or Federal agency medical personnel. The employee should submit the PD-19 Application for Excuse of Absence with Pay for Administrative Employees with supporting documentation for approval. In the event of a pandemic such as COVID-19, the Division of Human Resources (DHR) will issue a policy and timekeeping codes. Employees should not submit for excused absence without specific guidance from their Human Resources Director or the Division of Human Resources in the event of a pandemic.
Civil Service Examinations
Excused absence is granted to employees for attendance at New York City Civil Service examination, practical exam, civil service hiring pools, or for an investigative interview or appointment related to a civil service examination when scheduled during the employee’s normal work day. When an employee is scheduled for a civil service exam or is receives a notice to attend a hiring pool during regular working hours, the employee must provide prior notice and subsequently submit documentation from the administering agency indicating the title of the exam, the date and time of the activity, and the time the employee was released from the test/activity. The DOE grants excused absence with pay for the length of time necessary to complete the exam or related activity (hiring pool, practical exam, investigative interview), as well as the appropriate travel time from the work location to the test site or agency location conducting the activity.
Conventions/Conferences/Workshops
The Chancellor, Deputy Chancellor, Division Head, or their respective designee must authorize such absence. Employees are required to retain conference agendas, proof of workshop/training course completion, and associated TRAC forms (when requesting reimbursement for travel is permitted) for the duration of their employment with the agency.
Attendance Before a Legislative Body
Employees of the Department Education may be granted excused absence for the purpose of advocating or opposing legislative or other measures or propositions affecting the public schools or the public school system before any official body having jurisdiction with the express permission of the Chancellor or their designee. This information will be reported to the Division of Human Resources. Absence for the purpose of obtaining permission in pursuance of this rule will be considered absence from duty.
Cancer Screening
Accommodations shall be made for employees requesting time off for cancer screening. Requests for such time off must be made in advance and in writing. Approval must be granted by the office/division head, provided such a request does not substantially disrupt the normal operation of the office/school. If the office head determines that the number of requests would cause a substantial disruption, then the office head can limit the granting of such excused leave to a reasonable number of staff requesting it on the same day and deny the other requests until a more appropriate time. Such time off, up to a maximum of four (4) hours on an annual basis, shall be paid leave and will not be charged against any leave the employee is otherwise entitled to.
Graduations
Excused absence of not more than one (1) day to receive a degree from a college or university or to attend the graduation of a child’s kindergarten, elementary school, intermediate school, junior high school, high school, or college, or to attend the graduation of an employee’s spouse or registered domestic partner from a college or university. The application should indicate the exact time of day the graduation exercises were held and must be accompanied by the graduation announcement. Only absence to attend a graduation held during working hours will be excused. Stepping up ceremonies between grades (e.g. child is moving from 3rd to 4th grade), however designated, are excluded and employees may request to use any accrued annual to attend such ceremonies. Time off for travel to and from the graduation ceremony must be charged to the employee’s annual leave or compensatory time balances.
Selective Service Act – Appearance Before an Official Authority
In connection with the Selective Service Act, an excused absence will be granted with supporting documentation which includes the date and arrival/departure time
Voting & Election Day
Excused absence will only be granted to administrative employees who do not have four (4) consecutive hours either between the opening of the polls and the beginning of the employee’s working shift, or between the end of the employee’s working shift and the closing of the polls. Otherwise, employees are considered to have sufficient time to vote and shall not be entitled to additional paid time off. The maximum amount of excused leave granted to vote in an election is two (2) hours.
Unless mutually agreed upon, the time off must be taken only at the beginning or end of your working shift, as your supervisor may designate. Any time off to vote that exceeds two hours must be charged to your annual leave, compensatory time balance or cumulative absence reserve/personal business days (as applies to your employee type).
Excused absence for voting only applies to the following federal, state, or municipal elections: general elections, special elections, and primary elections. Time off to vote is not available for school or library elections and is not available for early voting.
Many agency functions, offices and schools may be operating remotely on certain Election Days. As such, supervisors may allow an employee, whose work can be completed off-site, to work remotely to enable the employee to vote in a timely manner without having to use paid time off.
Employees requesting time off to vote must notify their immediate supervisor by submitting a Voting Leave Request Form at least two working days prior to their intention to take paid time off to vote, but not more than ten working days.
For more information, and to view the most current DHR Personnel Memorandum, go to the HR Connect Web Portal.
Other Reasons
In addition to the above reasons, absence may be excused with pay for such other legitimate purposes as the Division of Human Resources (DHR) may, upon presentation of proper documentation, consider justified.