Director of Student Services

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SERVICES

General Responsibilities :

Under the direction of the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, this position is responsible for the leadership, administration, and supervision of the school division’s student services education programs and services.

• Supervise Itinerant staff, such as, OT Therapists, Psychologists, Educational Specialists, Homebased / Homebound Teacher, Secretaries, School Social Workers, :
• Stay up-to-date on all current state and federal regulations as related to special education, Section 504, Homeless, Homebound, Homeschool, and Foster-Care;
• Serve as Division Section 504 Coordinator;
• Facilitates the implementation of the school board approved Section 504 / ADA policy;
• Develop, continually revise and ensure the implementation of consistent Section 504 procedures across the Division;
• Provide ongoing training and support to district staff regarding Section 504 and the implementation of the Section 504 procedures;
• Assist School Level Coordinators in collecting and maintaining all Section 504 data (504 plans, lists of eligible students, discipline records) for future reference;
• Facilitate the provision of reasonable accommodations for district employees with disabilities;
• Serve as a daily resource to district administrators, school level Section 504 Coordinators, building level teams, and community members regarding Section 504 / ADA issues;
• Facilitate the updating, informing, reviewing, and distributing of Section 504 materials to School Level Section 504 Coordinators;
• Coordinate Section 504 / ADA grievance procedures;
• Serve as the school district’s liaison to the Office for Civil Rights. (OCR complaint resolution and corrective action plan implementation);
• Advise the district superintendent and school board regarding Section 504 / ADA compliance issues and needs.
• Monitor and review all Section 504 services and plans developed within the schools;
• Serve as Division and VDOE Homeless Coordinator;
• Interprets laws relating to homeless students; and ensures the delivery of mandated services.
• Assesses students identified as homeless and makes visits to living areas / shelters to assess the family environment.
• Collaborates with school staff to develop interventions for students identified as homeless and develops individualized service plans.
• Implements case management services (including individual counseling); monitors student / family progress and status; and makes referrals to other professional staff members or community agencies as needed.
• Serves as a liaison between schools and such agencies / facilities as homeless shelters, social services, court services, and the police department to coordinate assistance for homeless students.
• Provides families with information related to the needs of their child and acts as a resource to parents / guardians by providing family support activities and communicating available services.
• Acts as a resource to school-based administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, and health services personnel regarding homeless students, interpretation of homeless / school attendance policies and laws, and record-keeping requirements.
• Conducts training to school staff on school laws as it relates to the homeless student population; and recommends strategies for supporting the needs of these students.
• Maintains necessary records ensuring confidentiality of students and their families and prepares related reports.
• Serve as Division and VDOE Foster Care Coordinator;
• Serve as Division Homeschool Coordinator;
• Review and complete paperwork for all Homeschool requests;
• Maintain Homeschool Records;
• Request required paperwork from parents;
• Review all End-of-Year Progress reports that are sent by Parents in August; if progress is not being made, then a letter is sent placing that Parent’s Homeschool request on probation and a request is made for a Corrective Plan of Action;
• Serve as Division Contact for Residential, Private Day School, and Private Schools;
• Serve as Division Contact for Head Start;
• Monitor an Agency Agreement with Head Start; and
• Provide agreed upon services to Head Start;
• Gather information and Complete VDOE required reports for :
• Homebound;
• Foster-Care;
• Homeless;
• December 1 Child Count;
• State Performance Plan;
• Excess Cost;
• Maintenance of Effort;
• Proportionate Set-Aside; and
• Annual Plan;
• Investigate and gather documentation for all Section 504 (OCR) and IDEA complaints;
• Coordinate Homebound / Homebased Instruction :
• Review and approve all Homebound and Homebased Applications;
• Monitor Homebased and Homebound Instruction;
• Review and approve all Homebound and Homebased time sheets;
• Assign teachers to Homebound / Homebased students;
• Monitor all Diagnostic Services (testing and screening) such as Sociocultural Appraisals, Psychological Evaluations, Educational Assessments, Psychiatric Evaluations, Speech / Language Evaluations, Hearing Screenings, Occupational and Physical Therapy Evaluations and Screenings, Audiological Evaluations, FAPT services, Independent Evaluations, etc.
• Chair all Eligibility meetings and complete corresponding paperwork (meetings are held once a week);
• Oversee and guide instruction as related to IEP services and Co-Teaching within all schools;
• Work in conjunction with Administrative Assistants to make sure all Homebased / Homebound, CSA funded students, 504, Homeless, and IDEA data is logged into SIS;
• Attend IEP and 504 meeting as requested by school administrators;
• Provide trainings and workshops for a variety of subjects;
• Assist school administrators in observations of special education teachers;
• Randomly monitor schools for IDEA and Section 504 compliance;
• Oversee ECSE services including Child Find;
• Oversee ESY services;
• Oversee the IEP Online Program;
• Disaggregate / Collect / Report on SOL Data for Students with Disabilities (SWD-Sped & Section 504);
• Develop, monitor, supervise and manage all aspects of the annual budgets for special education; coordinate budget requests with individual schools relative to instructional programs;
• Coordinate the implementation of federal and state grant applications and manage appropriate IDEA grants;
• Perform any other tasks assigned by the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction or the Division Superintendent.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

• Ability to work collaboratively with principals to implement and monitor special education programs; ability to work in a supportive, collaborative role with staff in all departments and offices;
• ability to interface with other departments to coordinate reciprocal services for achieving special education goals; ability to interpret and remain current on all federal, state, and local mandates for special education and Section 504 services and to ensure that the school division is in compliance;
• handle confidential information discretely and professionally; use discretion and exercise sound judgment; exceptional public relations / interpersonal skills to respond to parents and advocacy groups and to serve as the school division’s lead representative / contact person of programs for special needs students;

effective management, supervisory, team-building, and problem solving skills.

Education and Experience :

Master’s Degree Required (Special Education and / or Administration / Supervision). Valid Virginia Postgraduate Professional License.

At least 5 years’ experience as a teacher working with students with disabilities.

Terms of Employment :

• Twelve-month Contract
• Salary according to School Board approved Director’s Salary Scale

Reports to :

Executive Director of Curriculum & Instruction

Evaluation :

Performance on this job will be evaluated in accordance with School Board policy and administrative regulations on evaluation of administrative personnel

FLSA STATUS : Exempt

Apply for this position by clicking here and clicking the "Apply" button beside Job ID : 1338 (Director of Student Services).