Phase Two Re-Entry and Childcare Issues

June 22, 2020

Faculty and Staff,

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is ramping up for the fall semester, and Phase Two of the campus re-entry plan is now in progress.

Human Resources has received numerous inquiries regarding university paid leave for faculty and staff to care for children who remain out of school or daycare. UTHSC is not offering paid leave for faculty and staff to stay home to care for children.

There have also been questions about the extended leave and pay provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA specifically exempts essential clinics, post-secondary educational institutions offering health care instruction, and medical/dental schools from its coverage. Therefore, UTHSC employees are exempt from the FFCRA. However, the provisions of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are still in effect.

UTHSC faculty serve as researchers, health care educators, and/or providers of essential services, and our staff serve in supportive roles to our students, research initiatives, faculty, and operational entities. Many of these roles require a physical presence to meet the defined needs. In an email sent to all UTHSC faculty, staff, and students on June 1, 2020, Chancellor Schwab conveyed that individual supervisors will determine the work location and schedule for their employees (faculty and staff), and that all work that could be done at home should continue to be done at home.

In an effort to help families through this crisis, our state has provided many free resources, support services, and childcare for its residents. Please visit our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Guidance website to access specific resources for several of the counties where UTHSC employees may live and work across the state, and childcare information from the YMCA.

If you have any questions regarding FFCRA, FMLA, ADA, or paid leave, please visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Guidance website or contact Human Resources at 901.448.5600 or hr@uthsc.edu.

Kennard Brown, JD, MPA, PhD, FACHE
Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operations Officer

Chandra Alston, EdD
Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources