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Volunteer Emergency Worker Policy (Policy 67)

Approved By:

President Cheryl Green

Issued:

Revised:

Last Reviewed:

Related Policies:

Academic Grievance Policy and Procedures

Policy Owner / Contact Person:

Provost's Office

Additional References:

Illinois Volunteer Emergency Worker Higher Education Protection Act (110 ILCS 122) and the Illinois Policy Number: 67 Volunteer Emergency Worker Job Protection Act (50 ILCS 748).

 

Policy Categories:

Academic Policies

  1. Purpose

    The purpose of this policy is to comply with Illinois law in providing reasonable accommodation for any student who is absent from class due to the performance of her or his duties as a volunteer emergency worker.

  2. Definitions

    "Volunteer emergency worker" includes, but is not limited to: 

    1. a person who serves as a member of a fire department of a fire protection district, municipality, or other unit of government on other than a full-time career basis and who meets the requirements for volunteer status provided in Section 553.106 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations and United States Department of Labor Wage and Hour Opinion Letter FLSA 2006-28 and United States Department of Labor Wage and Hour Opinion Letter FLSA 2005-51; 
    2. a person who serves on a volunteer basis and is licensed under the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act as an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) (First Responder), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate (EMT I), Advanced Emergency Medical Responder (A-EMT), or Paramedic (EMT-P), or a volunteer ambulance driver or attendant, and the person does not work in one of these capacities for another fire department, fire protection district, or governmental entity on a full-time career basis; and 
    3. a person who is a volunteer member of a county or municipal emergency services and disaster agency pursuant to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, an auxiliary policeman appointed pursuant to the Municipal Code, or an auxiliary deputy appointed by a county sheriff pursuant to the Counties Code.

  3. Policy

    Governors State University will provide reasonable accommodation for any student who is absent from class due to the performance of her or his duties as a volunteer emergency worker. If an absence is the result of a student’s documented performance of emergency volunteer work, an instructor must accommodate the absence within reason. A student who believes that he or she has been unreasonably denied this accommodation may seek redress through the academic grievance procedure set forth in University Policy 5.

  4. Acknowledgement

    The University acknowledges and credits the Illinois Volunteer Emergency Worker Higher Education Protection Act (110 ILCS 122) and the Illinois Volunteer Emergency Worker Job Protection Act (50 ILCS 748).