Burke County Public Schools
Helpful Resources from Human Resources - August 2020
Screening for COVID-19
Attached is the COVID Flowchart we are using for students and staff. Listed below is a summary of the flowchart.
If a student or staff member has been exposed but has not tested positive, then they must quarantine for 14 days (even if the student or staff member gets tested and it is negative). Remember, exposure is defined as being within 6 feet of someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 for 15 minutes or longer.
If a student or staff member has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but does not show symptoms, then they must quarantine for 10 days since their first positive test.
If a student or staff member is displaying one of the symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, chills, shortness of breath, new cough, or new loss of smell/taste), then they can not come to school. If confirmed positive, students and staff members must quarantine until 10 days since first symptoms started AND no fever for 24 hours (without medicine), AND symptom improvement (including coughing and shortness of breath). If the student or staff member tests negative and has not had an exposure, then they can return to school after being fever-free 24 hours (without medicine).
Daily Attestation Statements
Anyone on a BCPS campus must wear a face covering over their nose and mouth. Also, please socially distance and practice good hygiene. Don't forget, you acknowledge with a daily attestation by entering on campus that you:
- Have not been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the last time worked.
- Have not had close contact (within 6 feet for over 15 minutes) in the last 14 days with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
- The health department or a health care provider has not been in contact with you and advised you to quarantine.
- You do not have any of the following symptoms: fever, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, new cough, or new loss of taste or smell.
- You have had your temperature checked upon arriving at work and your temperature was less than 100.0.
Emergency Paid Sick Leave
In order to help protect the public health and safeguard the well-being of public school employees, the federal government has authorized the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) in response to the pandemic.
Federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave is available to employees in Burke County Public Schools until December 31, 2020, and may be extended by the federal government.
Up to 80 hours of paid Federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave may be granted by employers for the following:
- Employees are unable to work because a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation has been issued related to COVID-19.
- Employees who are sick due to symptoms consistent with COVID-19, who are caring for a dependent with COVID-19 symptoms, or a healthcare provider has advised the employee to self-quarantine.
- Employees are unable to work because they are caring for a son or daughter whose childcare is unavailable due to COVID-19.
Please check with your immediate supervisor if you need more information about Emergency Paid Sick Leave.
Required Training
In November 2019, An Act to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and to Strengthen and Modernize Sexual Assault Laws, S.L. 2019-245 (SB199) was signed into law and includes training requirements for all school personnel who work directly with students specifically teachers, instructional support personnel, principals, and assistant principals. These school personnel must receive two hours of training in even-numbered years beginning in 2020.
Burke County Public Schools has chosen to use an online training called "Protect Our Students". This training is research-based and approved by experts. It addresses all components of the law and provides state resources for extra assistance.
Protect Our Students: CSA & Trafficking NC Educator Training is available immediately and must be completed by Friday, September 11th. To access, go to freewaync.org/protect-our-students and enter the password: protect. Progress will be connected to your network user profile if you are logged in, otherwise, progress will be connected to the device you are using. If you pause the course and want to resume at a later time, be sure to log into your user profile (or use the same device) to avoid losing your progress in the course. Your district will be notified of your course participation upon completion. You must follow the instructions at the end of the course to receive course credit. You will also receive official confirmation of participation via email for your records. Please do not submit your certificate in TimeKeeper. CEU credit will be given using LINQ.
Protect Our Students was created to be sensitive to those who have experienced abuse. It does not include disturbing images or graphic stories of abuse. However, if you find the training difficult or triggering, we encourage you to speak with a counselor or contact our Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-633-3353.
As a school staff member, you are in an ideal position to identify and respond to child abuse. Your partnership in these efforts is essential. We believe this course will leave you informed and better prepared to make a difference in the lives of the students at your school.
Please check with your immediate supervisor if you are unsure about whether you should complete this required training.
Interested in becoming National Board Certified? The process is more flexible than ever!
Check out this great resource explaining how to Get Started with National Board Certification during COVID-19!
Click here for information on free webinars to learn more about National Board Certification!
Teachers can check their CEU's by logging into their TimeKeeper account.
Attached below are the CEU requirements for the 2020-2021 school year.
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Do you have a certificate that needs to be added to your CEU report? Click here for the step by step directions on how to submit your certificate.
When entering information in TimeKeeper, if the professional development activity was in the area of technology, please make sure you choose "Digital Learning". Technology is no longer required. The new term DPI uses for this credit is "Digital Learning".
Have you entered a professional development activity into TimeKeeper and it was rejected? If so, you can click on the activity and find out the reason it was rejected.
An appointment is required for any employee that needs to change their legal name. After an employee receives their new driver's license and social security card, they can contact Tammy Huffman at 439-4322 to schedule an appointment to officially change their name with Burke County Public Schools.
Human Resources Directory
Rocky Epley - Licensure and NCEES 439-4301
Tammy Huffman - Benefits (Health Insurance), Frontline (AESOP), and Substitutes 439-4322
Penny Smith - FMLA (includes maternity leaves), Retirement and Worker's Comp 439-4300
When emailing, please use - pmsmith@burke.k12.nc.us.
There are two Penny Smith's employed with Burke County Public Schools.
Debbie Story - Transcripts, Volunteers and CEU's 439-4323
Department of Human Resources
Website: www.burke.k12.nc.us
Location: 700 East Parker Road, Morganton, NC, USA
Phone: 828-439-4323
Twitter: @BCPS_HR