Job Accommodations/Fitness for Duty

Milwaukee Public Schools is committed to providing disability-related job accommodations as required by Board policy, state law (including the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act) and federal law (including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; the ADA Amendments Act of 2008; and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973).

Individuals who need disability-related job accommodations may submit a request for accommodations to their supervisors or to:

James Gorton, Manager, Employee Rights Administration Division (ERAD), Office of Human Resources (OHR).

If a request is submitted to ERAD, the requestor will participate in an interactive process to ascertain what job accommodations, if any, are warranted.  Medical documentation substantiating the nature of the disability and the need for the accommodation will ordinarily be needed.  ERAD is responsible for ensuring that MPS complies with laws regarding job accommodations.

Employees who need assistance in working through job accommodation issues should contact Mr. Gorton directly for guidance and support. Supervisors are encouraged to contact Mr. Gorton if they have concerns about job accomodations for employees or whether an employee is physically or mentally fit-for-duty.

Emergencies

If a supervisor becomes aware of an employee who poses a risk to the safety of himself or others (e.g., an employee makes a suicide threat), the supervisor should take immediate measures to address the situation.

• If the troubled employee has a weapon, threatens bodily injury, or shows behavior which is life-threatening, the supervisor should immediately call 911.
• It may be advisable to contact the County Mobile Crisis Team (414-257-7222) to come on-site and talk to the employee and assess next steps.  In such cases, the Administrator should find a place that will allow for privacy for this purpose. 

In addition, the supervisor should contact James Gorton (414-475-8161) to assess the situation.  If James Gorton is unavailable, an alternative contact person from the Office of Human Resources below may be contacted.

• Director, Employment Relations: 414-475-8280
• Senior Director, Talent Management:  414-475-8224
• Manager, Talent Management:  414-475-8224

The supervisor should also consider informing the troubled employee of the Employee Assistance Plan (1-800-236-3231).