Employment Law

Intermediate unit human resource and/or legal staff may provide advice to member school districts regarding employment law and labor practices as mandated in the Pennsylvania School Code and as required by the U.S. Department of Labor.  This service is intended to give very prompt response to questions that may arise within local school districts.  However, it is not intended as a substitute for the advice of nor the representation by local school board solicitors.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA)

Intermediate unit human resource and/or legal staff may provide advice to member school districts on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. The act’s primary purpose was to make it easier for employees to continue health care insurance with minimal disruption when changing employers. However, there were many other significant parts of legislation, including the nationalization of claims procedures, and improvement of accountability and privacy rules. This service is intended to give very prompt response to questions that may arise within local school districts.  However, it is not intended as a substitute for the advice of nor the representation by local school board solicitors. 

Human Resources Consultation

Intermediate units offer member school districts technical assistance and support in personnel and human relations programs. Services may include: policy clearinghouses, online human resources services, professional development workshops, staffing studies, cost benefit analyses, solving personnel-related issues, policy development and logistical support.

Insurance Consortium | Self-Funded Programs

Intermediate units may coordinate a cooperative effort to purchase life, medical, dental, vision, prescription drug, disability, worker’s and certain liability insurance coverage for member school districts. This cooperative effort leads to significant rate reductions. Intermediate units may also coordinate, research and implement self-funded insurance plans to save member districts money through a self-funded program for staff health care benefits, life insurance coverage and wellness programs.

Negotiations | Labor Relations

Intermediate units may coordinate the exchange of information among school district labor negotiators.  Meetings are conducted to discuss issues and plan strategies for the negotiation of employee labor contracts.  In addition, intermediate unit human resources and legal staff will aid member school districts throughout the labor relation’s process.

Recruiting Consortium

A cooperative effort between intermediate units and their member school districts to recruit outstanding employees throughout the eastern seaboard.  This effort results in the saving of time, energy, money and resources of individual districts and the intermediate unit as they pool their resources to recruit employees. Prospective employees are interviewed at career fairs and campus visitations by representatives of the consortium. Each interviewed candidate is asked a series of questions during the screening interview.  The interviewer evaluates responses and a rating is then prepared for review by participating school districts.  Each interviewed candidate’s qualifications and rating are then placed in an on-line database that can be accessed by members of the consortium.

Staffing | Salary | Benefits Analysis

Intermediate units may conduct staff and salary studies and or surveys for their member districts to assist districts to maintain adequate staffing levels, to establish salary scales, and to develop equitable benefits packages.

Substitute Placement Services

Intermediate units provide an efficient centralized service for member school districts to obtain substitute employees.  Centralizing substitute placement services eliminates competition among school districts for substitutes, reduces individual district’s costs by sharing operating expenses, expands the pool of qualified substitute employees available to an individual district and ensures accurate recordkeeping to better control unemployment costs and payroll processing.

Guest Teacher Programs

Intermediate units may hire and train individuals with bachelor’s degrees on emergency teaching certificates to provide emergency substitute coverage in their member school districts’ classrooms.  Qualifying individuals receive two days of formal training prior to entering the classroom.