Jury Duty and Court Appearance Policy [Effective 7/2/2026]

The purpose of this policy is to outline the expectations and requirements related to needed time off when called to jury duty or other court appearances, such as serving as a witness.

This policy applies to all non-temporary staff in positions scheduled to work at least 910 hours annually, including year-round staff regularly scheduled for a minimum of 17.5 hours per week and partial-year staff scheduled for 910 or more hours per year. Bargaining unit members should refer to the terms in their collective bargaining agreements as applicable.

• Jury Duty: a civic duty in which a jury decides the facts of a case in accordance with principles of the law as explained by a judge.
• Grand Jury: a body of 16-23 citizens who listen to evidence of criminal allegations, which is presented by the prosecutors, and determine whether there is probable cause to believe an individual committed an offense.
• Witness Leave: a designated period of authorized absence granted to an employee who is required to attend legal or administrative proceedings as a witness. This leave may be granted when the individual is summoned by subpoena, court order, or written request from a recognized legal or government authority.

Jury Duty and Grand Jury Duty

RISD acknowledges the importance of fulfilling one’s civic responsibility and therefore grants time off for jury duty and 10 (ten) days of grand jury duty without loss of pay or benefits, provided that proof of jury service is provided. Time off for jury duty covers the time when your attendance is required by the court. Whenever the court does not require attendance, employees are expected to report to work as scheduled.

Court Appearance (e.g., Witness Leave)

RISD-Related Proceedings

Employees required to appear as either a witness or a party before a judicial, administrative or legislative tribunal of competent jurisdiction on behalf of or related to RISD proceedings are granted leave with regular pay for the duration required by the court.

Non-RISD Proceedings

Employees required to appear as either a witness or a party before a judicial, administrative or legislative tribunal of competent jurisdiction for Non-RISD proceedings the employee may use Personal or Vacation time, or other paid time off as required by law and, in accordance with those policies. If no paid time off is available, employees will be granted leave without pay.

Any payments received from the courts are the employee’s to retain.

Employees who are called to serve on Grand Jury duty will receive regular pay for up to 10 (ten) days of service. They are encouraged to discuss alternate work schedule options with their supervisor to help minimize any potential loss of income during their jury service.

Employees are responsible for:

• Notifying their supervisors as soon as possible that they will be participating in jury duty.
• If using Workday time entry, upload a copy of the court’s notification in Workday when requesting “jury duty” time off.
• If using Kronos time entry, provide the court’s notification to their supervisor.

Supervisors are responsible for:

• Timely review and action related to time-off requests.
• Ensuring that the court’s notification is uploaded to the Workday jury duty time off request or, if the employee is paid using the Kronos time-keeping system, collecting the court’s notification and forwarding it to Human Resources.
• Optionally engage Human Resources Partner for assistance with workload redistribution.
• Consideration and approval of alternate work schedules, if applicable, due to Grand Jury service.

Human Resources is responsible for

• Providing advice and counsel as needed.
• Maintaining court notifications for employees paid via Kronos

Policy Sanctions

RISD reserves the right to review alleged violations of this policy in conjunction with other appropriate offices and under other applicable College policies, procedures, and collective bargaining agreements, including but not limited to those listed under Related Policies. Failure to comply with this policy and other Related Policies is subject to disciplinary action and sanctions per applicable disciplinary procedures.

• Exempt and Nonexempt Pay Policy
• Sick Time Policy
• Vacation Policy

This policy was created on

This policy was last reviewed/modified on: 6/17/2026

Next scheduled review: 5/26/2028

Issuing Office

Human Resources

Responsible Officer

Vice President, Human Resources

Individuals/offices required for review and changes

General Counsel's Office