Ball State Creates Special Paid Leave For Campus COVID-19 Closure

Ball State University trustees have approved a plan to give temporary paid leave to employees affected by the school’s closure during the coronavirus pandemic.  IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports.

Ball State is calling the measure “Extraordinary Temporary Paid Leave.”  If an employee can’t work through the school’s closure because of COVID-19, this paid leave will be how they will receive their regular expected salary and benefits through the end of June.

University president Geoffrey Mearns says the goal is for no employee to take an economic hit.

“So what we’re providing is the affected employees can use this extraordinary paid leave option, and won’t have to use their existing paid leave options in order to deal and manage with this.”

Mearns says only about 100 employees are currently deemed non-essential, but also can’t do their jobs from home.  But he says that number could change.  And he says the school is planning for employees who may get sick or have to care for a sick family member.

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The university is also creating a paid time “bank,” where employees can donate hours to others who may have to take time off for a COVID-19-related absence in the next fiscal year that begins in July.