POSITION:                            Social Worker

POSITION TERM:                 11 Month

REPORTS TO:                       Director of Student Services

DATE:                                    August 2019

Our Mission

The mission of the Agora Cyber Charter School is to provide an innovative, intensive academic preparation that inspires and educates students to achieve the highest levels of academic knowledge and skills and develop proficiency in the design and use of new computer technologies and scientific research. Agora embraces a collaborative partnership between teachers and parents in order to empower students to reach extraordinary heights. Extraordinary results require extraordinary efforts! Through commitment, hard work, consistency, and responsibility, every student will meet the challenge of mastering high expectations.

Our vision

The vision of Agora Cyber Charter School is to prepare all learners to achieve their highest potential through actively engaging in their own learning, achieving their personal learning goals and cultivating success as lifelong learners.

Position Summary

The Agora Cyber Charter School Social Worker promotes and enhances our academic mission by providing services that strengthen home/school/community partnerships and alleviate barriers to learning.  The School Social Worker significantly contributes to the development of a healthy, safe, and caring environment by advancing the understanding of the emotional and social development of children and the influences of family, community, and cultural differences on student successes and by implementing effective intervention strategies.

The Social Worker empowers students, families, and school personnel to access available opportunities and resources to fully develop each student.  Integrated into all major functions are home/school/community assimilation; diversity and cultural competence: dropout prevention; and adherence to federal and states statutes, professional development and practices, School Social Work Standards and the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. The Social Worker reports to the Director of Student Services and works remotely with local and statewide travel for family visits, meetings, and professional development as required.

Essential Functions:

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

• Evaluates students to determine their need for school social work or other services.
• Participates in an advisory role in the Student Assistance Program
• Participates as member of Individual Education Plan (IEP) team, and other school based teams to develop interventions for promoting students’ academic success
• Provides crisis intervention services and serves as a member of school crisis intervention team
• Provides staff consultation on behavioral-emotional-environmental issues affecting student participation in the learning process
• Develops programs to address parent/guardian participation in the school and student engagement in the educational process
• Acts as a liaison between various treatment, judicial institutions as well as school personnel to account for students’ whereabouts, as well as track and facilitate students’ transitions to ensure student success
• Conducts home visits related to establishing communication and positive connections between the parent/guardian and school setting around identified issues
• Serves as liaison with community agencies and assists in fostering communication between schools and parents/guardians
• Locates and mobilizes community resources to support the educational program
• Attends team meetings and participates in professional development activities as required
• Maintains confidentiality
• Ability to travel within and between assigned geographic areas to support director, teachers, students, attend regularly scheduled meetings, and participate in school activities, open houses, and orientations
• Support students by collaborating with Special Education, Attendance, Enrollment, and Family Coaches

Competencies:

• Technology Capacity
• Ethical Conduct
• Strategic Thinking
• Communications Proficiency
• Strong communication skills
• Self-Motivated
• Ability to stay focused and meet deadlines without being micro-managed

Work Environment

This job operates in a virtual environment.  This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phone, photocopiers and printers.

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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell.  The employee must occasionally lift or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work; Master’s Degree preferred
• Pennsylvania license as a Social Worker
• Pennsylvania Department of Education required clearances
• 2 or more years of experience working in a school setting

This job description does not state or imply that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position.  The employee in this position will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other duties requested by his/her administrator(s) and/or supervisor(s).

Agora Cyber Charter School is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.