Title
Commitment to Quality Education and Volunteer Activities
Action
ACTION:
Amend and approve recommended policy updates to be effective July 1, 2025
Staff Contact: Joanette Freeman, Director of Human Resources
Latisha Russell, Policy & Compliance Manager
Presentation: No
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
Background:
The current policy allows employees time away from work to participate in school-related activities and volunteer with approved community service agencies to receive up to 24 hours of matched time. Community service agencies that wish to have County employees volunteer with them must contact the County Manager to be approved as a participating agency. This list of organizations has not been updated since 2008.
Justification:
• We are recommending removal of the following as approved school-related activities:
o Parent-Teacher Conferences
o Graduations
While these listed activities may be school-related, employees should not receive matching time to attend events directly related to their child and events they would attend as a parent. However, if they are “volunteering” to assist during graduations or parent-teacher conferences, this would be allowed.
• We are recommending allowing employees to recommend community service agencies to be approved for the list. Employees have been requesting to add agencies to the list, however under the current policy there is no avenue for employees to do so. Agencies must be a non-profit or charitable organization. The organization’s vision, goals, and mission must be in alignment with the County’s vision, goals, and mission. The County Manager would approve it as a participating agency.
• We are recommending the list of agencies be moved to the HR policy. As stated above the list of community service agencies has not been updated since 2008. On the current list there are agencies that need to be removed because they no longer exist, or name has been changed. We are recommending the chart be moved to the HR Policy section as we anticipate an increase in changes more often as employee’s recommend agencies.
PROCUREMENT BACKGROUND:
N/A
POLICY IMPACT:
Allowing employees to make recommendations to approved community service agencies list. Moving the community service agency chart to the HR Section of the policy manual.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A