Allies of an 13-year-old girl who has been battling a rare brain tumor are rallying behind her and her mother — a Fort Worth school district teacher whose request for support from an employee sick leave bank was recently denied.
Jill Kirby posted on social media: "Thank you FWISD for not accepting my application for the Emergency Sick Leave Bank. I'm feeling very frustrated! I've worked with the district for 23 years and they can't even give me 10 days off to care for my sick child! Thanks! (Sarcasm)."
Kirby, an elementary teacher at Lily B. Clayton Elementary, wrote the post on Facebook on April 20. It received 113 reactions and spurred allies to find a solution, including sharing the predicament with the media.
"She has worked for the district for 23 years and that's how they treat her — show some compassion," said Jennifer Hart, a family friend who is among those reaching out to the media and school district to push for some help for the Kirbys.
Asked about Kirby's case, the district responded in a statement: "The District has received calls regarding the situation. Unfortunately, we are not able to respond regarding an employee's confidential information. However, we can assure you that all processes have been or will be followed according to the District's policies and all applicable laws."
Kirby used all of her accrued sick days as her daughter, Grace, fought a brain tumor. Kirby's husband, Bruce, also teaches in the school district. They have been caring for their daughter's health even as they work and pay medical bills. She was hoping to get support from the sick leave bank, but was denied.
"I had six days left, and I used them when she had biopsy surgery. I am out of days and was hoping to use the sick bank for the surgery and recovery of the actual brain surgery," Kirby told the Star-Telegram.
Sick leave bank
Kirby's husband didn't apply to the bank after Jill Kirby was denied.
"My husband works for FWISD too. He’s out of days, and they will not allow two parents taking the sick leave bank for the sick child so he didn’t even apply," she said.
The sick leave bank is a program that pools sick leave days contributed by those who are separating from the district. They can only be used by full-time employees for "a qualifying incapacitating personal illness, accident or qualifying family member's terminal illness," according to a brochure written by the school district.
"The purpose of the Sick Leave Program is to alleviate hardship caused to an eligible employee if a personal catastrophic illness or injury forces the employee to exhaust all earned leave (sick, personal and vacation days)," the brochure states.
It can also be applied for a family member with a terminal illness — a spouse or dependent child under 18, according to the brochure.
"This benefit is limited to one person in a family and only when there is no other family member at home to care for the terminally ill person," the brochure states.
Jill Kirby said she was denied leave through the bank because a district committee didn't determine Grace is terminally ill.
