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Special Holidays and Early Release
A special holiday is one that is declared by the Governor of Texas and is not a part of the normal holiday Texas A&M holiday schedule. Early release time is authorized and is usually approved at times such as the afternoon before Thanksgiving, the afternoon before the beginning of the December holiday break, and the afternoon of Good Friday. Holiday rules may be used for time off during early release.
General Provisions
The following items should be noted in those instances where an early release or a special holiday has been authorized:
- The President’s Office or other appropriate office will provide notice to the campus in the event an early release has been authorized or a special holiday has been declared.
- If applicable, eligible employees will be paid according to holiday rules outlined in System Regulation 31.04.01 – System Holidays.
- Employees scheduled to be on vacation or sick leave will have their accrued leave banks replenished and the time will be replaced by early release time or holiday time (if special holiday is declared by governor).
- Work and Scheduling During a Holiday or Release Time
- Essential personnel may be required to work during an early release or special holiday; employees should consult with their supervisor to determine whether or not their position is considered to be “essential” for purposes of working during an early release or declared holiday.
- An employee who works during a holiday or early release time:
- will be paid for the hours they work and will be given appropriate state compensatory time off on a straight time basis; or
- may be paid for compensatory time on a straight-time basis where a department determines that allowing compensatory time off would be disruptive to critical functions
- An employee who does not work on or who is usually not scheduled to work during the special holiday or release time:
- will be given state compensatory time off to be taken off within the next 12 months; and/or
- may have their current schedule adjusted appropriately with the release or holiday time to reflect the normal amount of hours the employee was scheduled to work.
- State compensatory time considerations are governed by System Regulation 31.01.09 – Overtime.
Additional Information
