Memorandum

We continue to face unprecedented challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With schools across North Carolina implementing virtual and hybrid instruction, we recognize that parents working on-site and remotely are dealing with many challenges and concerns.

To help employees deal with the challenges, the Office of State Human Resources assembled a task force of HR experts to create a resource guide for parents. That guide covers many topics, including where to find child care, leave options, flexible scheduling and a change to a community service leave policy. You’ll find some highlights from the guide below

Community Service Leave — Literacy, Tutoring and Mentoring
The Office of State Human Resources has approved a variance to the policy that allows employees to use community service leave to tutor and mentor students and volunteer in a literacy program. The variance went into effect Aug. 17 and will remain in effect until Dec. 31. The policy provides up to 36 hours of paid leave for any employee providing tutoring or mentoring for a student in a public or nonpublic school to support virtual or hybrid instruction for at-risk students who require temporary or ongoing support to succeed academically. The variance allows employees to use community service leave to assist their children with virtual learning needs. This leave can be used in lieu of regular community service leave.

Regular Community Service Leave
Regular community service leave provides up to 24 hours of paid leave. Through Dec. 31, paid leave can be used for:

• Parents to be involved with their children at schools.
• Volunteer activity at schools.
• Volunteer activity at a not-for-profit community service organization.
• Volunteer activity at a state of North Carolina public university, community college or agency provided that the service the employee is providing is outside of the employee’s normal scope of duties and responsibilities and that the employee is not receiving any form of compensation for the services rendered.

Expanded Community Service Leave for COVID-19 Volunteering
With supervisor approval, employees are eligible for up to 80 hours of expanded community service leave to volunteer at a nonprofit that serves individuals affected by the pandemic.

Eligibility for Community Service Leave
Community service leave is available to permanent, probationary or time-limited employees and requires preapproval from the employee’s supervisor.

Additional Information
If you have general questions regarding community service leave options, please contact your college, division or unit HR representative or University Human Resources. For additional options available for parents of school-age children, please refer to this flyer created by UHR.

For more COVID-19 guidelines and resources, visit the HR website. For additional university-related COVID-19 updates, information and resources, go to NC State’s COVID-19  website.