School Counselor

TITLE:

SCHOOL COUNSELOR - ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL

TYPE:

Unit A Collective Bargaining Agreement

SALARY:

Per Unit A Collective Bargaining Agreement

REPORTS TO:
Building Principal

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The role of the School Counselor is to provide students in grades Pre-K-12 with high quality, comprehensive school counseling services.

School Counselors will utilize a multi-tiered system of support to assist students with their social and emotional well-being, and overall mental health. In collaboration with all stakeholders, School Counselors will strive to ensure that all students develop the skills, knowledge, and understanding necessary to be successful academically and socially.

The role of each school counselor will be determined by the needs of each school and the expectations of building/district administrators. Other responsibilities and/or duties may be assigned by supervisors.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ALL LEVELS:
Provide support to staff for SEL integration.
Provide consultation to all stakeholders regarding trauma-informed mental and behavioral health supports.
Collect and coordinate data for effectiveness of interventions for attendance, academics, and behavioral health to improve student outcomes.
Provide responsive services which are solution-focused individual/group mediation and crisis intervention.
Provide orientation activities to students new to the school.
Collaborate with building administrators to work with students and families to improve attendance.
Maintain accurate, complete and detailed records including communication and guidance logs.
Act as a liaison between outside community service providers and the school/district.
Provide and develop family engagement activities.
Provide specific parent/guardian/caregiver education.
Coordinate/facilitate Section 504 Plans.
Assist in creating inclusive/equitable classroom culture and whole class positive behavior supports.
Refer students to community service providers as needed.
Assist with creating and implementing Behavior Intervention Plans.
Provide resources, referrals, and support to families.
Participate in treatment planning and discharge meetings with area agencies.
Facilitate re-entry meetings when a student is returning from a non-disciplinary extended absence.
Create safety plans in collaboration with the Administration Team or designee.
Participate in home visits as needed.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Facilitate the IST referral process for social, emotional and behavioral needs of students.
Provide career and college introduction/exploration activities.
Support and assist staff in creating incentive charts for individual students as needed.
Assist in the development and maintenance of school-wide positive behavior program/supports.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL:
Assist with the transition from level to level.
Appraise and advise students regarding decision making for future jobs and careers.
Assist in student schedules and make necessary changes as needed.
Facilitate the IST referral process for social, emotional, academic and behavioral needs of students.
Organize high school presentations and CTE Career Fair.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HIGH SCHOOL:
Provide presentations and transition activities for 8th grade students.
Assist students in developing post-secondary educational plans in accordance with their interests, abilities and career plans.
Assist students with the completion of college admissions and scholarship applications.
Develop student schedules and make necessary schedule changes for individual students that are both appropriate for their abilities and aligned with their educational and career plans/goals.
Organize and promote standardized assessment opportunities and interpret test results to students and/or parents/guardians/caregivers upon request.
Ensure that students are aware of graduation and college admission requirements.
Organize and staff college fairs and tours of area campuses.

REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Counseling or Social Work.
Licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Education as a School Counselor/Guidance Counselor or School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor.
Excellent time management skills, including the ability to triage/prioritize competing needs.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the proven ability to effectively communicate with students and families from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Proven ability to relate to and work with a variety of stakeholders including but not limited to:
administrators, teachers, other school staff members, parents/guardians/caregivers, students, visitors, and community and social service agencies.
Must be trained, or willing to be trained, in the de-escalation and physical restraint techniques utilized by the District.

ADA and Minimum Qualifications to Perform Essential Job Functions Physical Requirements: Must be physically able to operate a variety of equipment including computers, copiers, adding machines, etc.

Must be able to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to lift, carry, push, and pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Must be able to stand, crouch and bend over for a long period of time at intervals throughout the day.

Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural or composite characteristics (whether similar or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.

Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving instructions, assignments or directions to subordinates or assistants.

Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, newsletters, schedules, manuals, invoices, requisitions, menus, recipes, journals, etc.

Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, evaluations, procedures, charts, surveys, articles, bid specifications, brochures, news releases, handbooks, budgets, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style. Requires the ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.

Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages including medical, legal, accounting and marketing terminology.

Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; and to apply the principles of algebra and geometry.

Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.

Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using office equipment.

Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as office equipment and hand tools. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.

Interpersonal: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.

Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and hear: (Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words. Hearing: perceiving nature of sounds by ear.) Must be able to communicate via telephone.