SCHOOL COUNSELOR

JOB DESCRIPTION

Who We Are:

The Dayton Early College Academy (DECA) is an award-winning, high performing network of charter schools located in Dayton, Ohio. Serving grades K-12, DECA’s three campuses are singularly focused on helping children from the city of Dayton gain the skills they need to be successful in college and beyond. 

Mission:

We prepare future college graduates today to become the leaders of our community tomorrow.

Core Values:

1. Put students first;
2. Demand success;
3. Invest deeply in relationships;
4. Do what’s right;
5. Prove education changes lives;
6. Find joy.

Our Students and Results:

We serve students in grades K-12 in the Dayton Public School area; academic proficiency is not considered during the admissions process. Admission is first come, first served. 

• 94% of our students are African-American and 72% are economically disadvantaged;
• Over 80% of our students will be first in their family to go to college;
• DECA is committed to providing a rigorous and engaging academic curriculum;
• Our campuses foster an awareness of social justice issues; 
• Strong community partnerships are at the core of our success;
• DECA alumni graduate from college at a rate nearly 5 times the national average for first generation college students and on par with their suburban counterparts.

Successful Applicants:

• Are developing and practicing cultural competence in their teaching, teamwork, and leadership;
• Build relationships with students, families, colleagues, and community;
• Provide, seek, and act on feedback;
• Live our Core Values.

Job Summary: The School Counselor helps students and families make the best use of available opportunities and resources and to fully develop each student's individual potential. The School Counselor brings to the educational process an understanding of the psychosocial development of children and the influences of family, community, and cultural differences as they interact with the educational process. The School Counselor provides case management, intervention services, and counseling services that address student and family needs consistent with the Dayton Early College Academy’s mission and mandated requirements. The School Counselor provides specialized consultative services to school staff to assist families, students, and educational professionals in providing quality interventions. This position reports to the Campus Principal

.

Qualifications:

• Meet all current health requirements including a negative tuberculosis test and a pre-employment drug screening. 
• Evidence of a clear record as determined by the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCII).
• Master’s degree in a social service field with licensure in the state of Ohio; Professional Counselor, Professional Clinical Counselor, Licensed Social Worker, or Licensed Independent Social Worker.
• Possess a Professional Pupil Services license specializing in school counseling or have the ability to obtain the license;
• Clinical experience with children in schools is required.
• Entrepreneurial spirit;
• Leadership skills;
• Excellent problem‐solving skills

Duties/Essential Functions:

• Provide individual, group, and family counseling.
• Provide emergency consultation as needed. Serve as referral agent when student/family concerns exceed the scope of school resources. Monitor ongoing student/family participation in community programs.
• Help students and families make the best use of available opportunities and resources and to fully develop each student's individual potential.
• Oversee the implementation of programs to improve students’ capacity to engage in healthy conflict resolution.
• Support the development of restorative instructional practices schoolwide.
• Plan, implement, and evaluate outreach and in-service programs (e.g., stress management training, family/peer relationships, personal adjustment, appropriate boundaries, etc.)
• Contact parents or guardians to check on absent students as requested. Meet with administrators to help resolve chronic attendance problems.
• Follow-up child abuse/neglect referrals, as requested. Conduct child abuse prevention/reporting training as requested. Serve as School Representative to Montgomery Children’s Services.
• Cultivate and leverage relationships with community organizations to support the student academic, social, and emotional needs.
• Consult with staff regarding instructional modifications, classroom adjustments, and/or other methods that support the attainment of behavioral and educational goals for students.
• Work cooperatively with court system personnel to address student/family concerns.
• Document referrals and services provided to facilitate case management and district-wide planning activities.
• Prepare records and reports required by law, board policy, or those requested by the building leaders and/or their designees. Ensure the confidentiality of privileged information.
• Use provided systems to manage caseload and manage private/personal records for students.
• Review literature and participate in a variety of professional activities (e.g., professional associations, course work, workshops, seminars, etc.) to keep current with promising research and effective intervention strategies.
• Develop rapport and maintain the confidence of parents and students. Keep parents updated on student progress using telephone calls, conferences, written communications, etc.
• Serve as a role model for students. Demonstrate responsibility citizenship, respect, and courtesy.
• Perform other job-specific duties as required.

Terms of Employment:

• 195 days
• Salary to be determined based on experience and education level.
• All staff members are issued one-year contracts.

Working Environment:

Workplace locations include:

• School, activity center, outdoor play areas;
• Retreat/field sites; and
• Other environments as deemed necessary/appropriate.

Physical demands:

• While performing the duties of his/her job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, talk, and/or hear.
• The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required for this position include close vision, distance vision, and depth perception.

Additional Working Conditions:

• The noise level in this work environment is quiet to loud depending on the activity and location.
• Working conditions for this job include (1) possible exposure to blood, bodily fluids, and tissue; and (2) occasional operation of a motor vehicle to transport students.
• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.

The information in this job description is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for the position. Additional duties performed by individuals currently holding the position and additional duties may be assigned.

This position is exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Employee signature below constitutes employee’s understanding of the requirements, essential functions and duties of the position.

Employee:_______________________________________                                                   Date:_____________