School Social Worker – Milan High School

Position Details

Employment Opportunity

POSITION : School Social Worker

School Social Worker

ASSIGNMENT : Milan High School

Milan High School

STARTING DATE : August, 2024

August, 2024

SALARY / HOURS :

Based on education and experience

APPLICATION DEADLINE :

Until Filled

APPLY TO : CONTACT PERSON :

CONTACT PERSON :

Lon Smith, Director of Student Services 734-439-5013

SUMMARY :

A School Social Worker supports general and special education students by providing direct and consultative support for all areas of their social and emotional wellbeing.

A School Social Worker plays a vital role in supporting the overall support system for the building they serve.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Demonstrates a strong commitment to equity, social justice, and inclusion in all practices and position responsibilities.
• Demonstrates the ability to examine how his / her / their position (directly or indirectly) impacts educational inequities in student achievement outcomes.
• Engages in reflection and ongoing learning and development on critical concepts and terms identified in the Milan Area Schools Educational Equity Policy including concepts such as cultural proficiency, racial equity, and systemic and structural inequities.
• Completion of comprehensive, diagnostic evaluations of children suspected of being Autistic or Emotionally Impaired. Provide a written and oral report to the IEP and MET teams detailing the results of the evaluation in a timely fashion.
• Coordinate or serve as a member of the MET diagnostic teams and IEP teams in the identification of a disability and development of supports and / or services to enable a qualifying student to learn as effectively as possible in his or her educational program.
• Identify problems and situations interfering with the ability of children to make optimal use of the educational experience and to develop appropriate goals and objectives based on student needs.
• Provide a problem solving service to children and their families, through individual, group, and community social work methods so as to enable those served to cope with problems adversely affecting the ability of children to make optimal use of education experience.
• Serve as consultant with school staff and parents in altering situations adversely affecting the personal, social-emotional, and academic development of children, including the coordination of the development of Positive Behavioral Support Plans.
• Maintain appropriate records and reports including but not limited to; service documentation, student progress toward goals and Medicaid billing (as appropriate).
• Meet required timelines including but not limited to reports, evaluations, IEP and MET requirements.
• Participate in parent teacher conferences, as appropriate.
• Must use appropriate technology to complete aspects of the job including but not limited to the use of computer applications (e.

g. Microsoft Office), web electronic based programs, email and voicemail.

• Engages in group counseling to address social and academic concerns.
• Help students develop a positive self-image and gain a better understanding of their own capabilities and worth.
• Create and manage 504 plans for General Education students not receiving Special Education services
• Assists teachers in identifying, understanding, and dealing with student behaviors / attitudes.
• Maintains open lines of communication by distributing current materials and resources
• Keep parents informed of student’s progress or lack of progress through letters, emails, telephone calls, conversations, conferences or home visits.
• Use ongoing assessments to maintain a record of student progress.
• Develop a repertoire of assessment strategies consistent with instructional goals, teaching methods, and individual student needs to more accurately assess student behavior skills and understandings.
• Regard assessment as a joint venture through which both student and teacher understanding is enhanced.
• Create fair and equitable assessments to assess higher-order thinking and problem solving as well as individual skills, knowledge, and understandings.
• Model good assessment processes that assist students in assessing their own work and behavior.
• Provide recognition of a variety of student accomplishments and positive behaviors.
• Work cooperatively with building administrators to promote positive student behavior by providing professional development that targets research, strategies and modeling of instructional practices to support teachers in their implementation of positive behavior support in their classrooms.
• Continually supervise students to ensure a safe, non-threatening, nurturing environment where students can thrive.
• Engage in ongoing professional development to increase knowledge and skills of positive student behavior support for all students, targeted students and students who represent sub-group populations.
• Attend professional development opportunities to maintain high level of skill and knowledge of current research and practices
• Serve as a consultant to administrators, teachers, and parents
• Organize and schedule time commitments to meet demands of the job
• Comply with all safety policies, practices and procedures; report all unsafe activities to supervisor
• Participate in proactive team efforts to achieve District, building, departmental and / or grade level goals
• Provide leadership to others through example and sharing of knowledge / skill
• Facilitates in-services and other staff development activities which enable staff to develop attitudes and skills associated with current concepts in education.
• Conducts classroom / student observation and follow up meetings with staff.
• Maintains case logs of contacts and data collection.
• Assists teachers with understanding the nature of a child’s disability.
• Assists in evaluating supports for students.
• Participates in district level staff meetings, in-service activities, staff development / special programs, school improvement teams and planning committees as appropriate to the assignment.
• Supports Milan Area Schools vision and mission to enhance achievement for all students.
• Supports a team-based approach to problem solving.
• Performs such other tasks as may from time to time be assigned by the supervisor.
• Understanding of MTSS process, general education interventions, and coordination.
• Successful background and experience working with students with emotional impairment, autism spectrum disorder and behavioral challenges.
• Successful background and practice collaborating with colleagues regarding program accommodations.
• Home and community visits.
• This is a full-time position, requiring regular reliable and predictable attendance on site to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED

QUALIFICATIONS :

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Alternative requirements that may be appropriate and acceptable to the Board of Education may be considered.

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and / or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and / or EXPERIENCE :

• Master’s degree with concentration in the area of School Social Worker
• Certification with Michigan Department of Education
• Experience with consulting in a general education setting.
• Demonstrated skills in parent consultation and working with diverse populations within the community and home settings.
• A philosophical position that is aligned with the Milan Area Schools mission of support in the least restrictive environment.
• A record of collaborative teamwork.
• Understanding of MTSS process and coordination desired
• Successful background and practice consulting with colleagues regarding program adaptations and modifications for students desired
• Successful background and experience working in a culturally diverse environment with ESL students desired
• Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board may find appropriate and acceptable.

LANGUAGE SKILLS :

• Ability to orient parents, school staff and administrators to the unique needs of students with disabilities.
• Ability to design and implement educational programs appropriate for students with disabilities.
• Ability to explain and demonstrate appropriate teaching techniques.
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret information including periodicals and professional journals.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of educators, students and the general public.
• Ability to direct the activities of others to execute student behavioral goals.

TECHNICAL SKILLS :

• Ability to integrate technology into the everyday work flow is necessary.
• Ability to utilize District technology and work to maintain proficiency, as required skill sets change with technology and / or the needs of the District.
• Ability to use computer technology for research, data management, communications and other instruction.
• Ability to use a personal computer (PC) or MAC in a networked environment to utilize the Internet and other electronic communication mechanisms.
• Knowledge of productivity applications such as Microsoft Office (word processing, spreadsheets, database and presentation software) is required.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS :

Ability to apply the concepts of basic math, algebra and geometry consistent with the duties of this position.

REASONING ABILITY :

• Highly proficient in subject areas of : reasoning, problem solving, organizational dynamics and emotional intelligence.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS :

• Ability to build rapport with others and to serve diverse publics.
• Ability to take initiative; work well with others as a collaborative team member and exhibit good communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with other departments, agencies and individuals.
• Ability to work creatively and skillfully with students.
• Ability to demonstrate initiative and understanding in working with students, staff and parents / guardians.
• Ability to work in various environments including student’s homes.
• Ability to consult effectively with teachers, parents, administrator and other professionals.
• Ability to demonstrate empathy and understanding for families of various cultural backgrounds.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS :

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, walk and stand. The employee is occasionally required to bend and or twist at the trunk more than the average person.

The employee is continuously repeating the same hand, arm or finger motion many times. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear.

The employee must occasionally lift and / or move up to 100 pounds such as books and teaching material or when assisting in student interventions.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distant vision and the ability to adjust focus. The ability to travel to other buildings may be required.

The position requires the individual to sometimes work irregular or extended work hours and meet multiple demands from several people.

The position requires the individual to have the ability to manage the medical, physical and emotional needs of students in a positive, student-centered manner while communicating with several different people (parents, community members, professional staff, advocates, related service staff and outside service agencies) with consistency and objectivity.

ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTABILITY :

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is quiet to loud depending upon the activity in the particular part of the day. The employee is frequently required to interact with the public and other staff.

The employee is directly responsible for the safety and well-being of students. The employee is exposed to infections at a greater risk than the average person.

Occasionally the employee may be required to be outdoors for a short period of time, and therefore subject to varying weather conditions, for purposes of accomplishing the essential functions of this job.

FUNCTIONS OF POSITION DESCRIPTION :

This position description has been prepared to define the general duties of the position, provide examples of work and to detail the required knowledge, skills and ability as well as the acceptable experience and training for the position.

The description is not intended to limit or modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct and control the duties of employees under supervision.

Milan Area Schools retains and reserves any and all rights to change, modify, amend, add to or delete from any portion of this description in its sole judgment.

This position description is not a contract for employment.

The District will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

Milan Area School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer which prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, color national origin, age, sex, handicap and marital status.

Posted 6 / 20 / 24