SEMS CALL-IN PROCEDURES

MEMO

TO Administrators 

FROM: Sandra Standel
Assistant Superintendent 

DATE: January 9, 2002 

RE: SEMS CALL-IN PROCEDURES (Minutes from Meeting on 2/20/01)

Many of you have asked questions regarding the SEMS system.  Hopefully, the following Q&A will provide you with the answers. 

Frequentlv Asked Questions 

1.     When do you call in for half days? 

•   If the ROEA member is attending an in-district function and does not need a substitute, there is no reason to call. The employee is still responsible for letting the building administrator know.

•   If the ROEA member Is In the district and a substitute is needed, the teacher needs to call.

•   The secretary will call if the situation is such that two or more teachers need a floating substitute.

•   If an internal substitute is being used and it is less than a half day, there is no need to call. 

2.     Do ROEA members need to call SEMS and the building? 

•   All ROEA members only need to call the SEMS system and not the building unless:

•   there are specific lesson plans or instructions for the substitute or,

•   the ROEA member has an assignment where they are in more than one building during the week (i.e. physical education, foreign language, social work, etc.).

3.     Who should call?

•   All ROEA members and all ROESA members should be utilizing the substitute call-in system at this time.

4.     Will the system ever be hooked up to do payroll? 

•    This is something that should be available to us in the near future. 

A.      What if the wrong code is chosen? 

•  Secretaries and principals in the buildings can now access the information from employee absences and the code that was chosen. This information could be shared with employees to verify that the correct code was chosen. 

B.      There are different codes between payroll and SEMS. 

•  Before this system can be linked to payroll, there will have to be a coordinated code system between payroll and SEMS (i.e. if “1” equals family illness on SEMS, it will need to be the same on the payroll printout). 

5.      Is there a way to keep the call-ins on the system for more than one day? 

If I am absent or ill (building secretary). I have to make sure someone else checks the SEMS or I check it from home. Maybe after the call-in is recorded at the building, it could be erased or maybe a “code” could be input to alert the system that the calls have been recorded by the building secretary. 

•   This currently can be done. Virginia Meeks will be providing training for administrators and secretaries on how to accomplish this task and how to correct errors. 

6.      Will the 52-week staff be able to call in on days when teachers are not scheduled to work?

When we try to do that now, we are told it is an invalid day and date. If we really want this for all staff, then it should be user friendly for all staff. (This would also help with consistency and remembering to use the call-in system.) 

•    This is a situation that can be corrected.

7.      What hours is Beth available? If Beth is not available, is Darlene or Danielle prepared to provide backup for her? 

•   Beth is available from 5:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. She also checks the system and her voicemail each evening around 9:30 p.m.

•   Darlene Heikkinen and Danielle Goodman are both trained on the system. Darlene is Beth’s primary backup. 

8.      Student teachers need to sign up to be used as substitutes. What procedures need to be used when you are using the student teacher as a substitute? 

•    Student teachers must go through the same process as regular  substitute teachers. The student teacher should contact Beth for further details.