Job Title: School Counselor

FLSA Status: Exempt

Job Summary

The guidance counselor is responsible for helping students understand their abilities, aptitudes and interests in light of the opportunities and demands they experience presently or may experience in the future.

Essential Duties

• To render assistance to students in groups guidance and in individual counseling sessions.
• To assist students by appraising their interests, aptitudes, abilities, educational achievements, and personality development.
• To assist students in course selection, in accordance with available data, to enable them to utilize their abilities more fully as they move toward more realistic goals in education, employment, and life.
• To provide for the student’s orientation to the school and its offerings.
• To collect, organize pertinent data, and maintain a cumulative record of each student.
• To collect, organize, and disseminate occupational and educational information with special emphasis on the high school offerings and on broad occupational information.
• To assist in administering the required State testing programs, administer various tests for counseling purposes, and provide for specialized testing programs.
• To submit and/or review referrals to the school psychologist, the visiting teacher, and the public health nurse through the CST process.
• To assist in referrals, through the principal and the psychologist, for specialized service beyond those provided by the school.
• To make recommendations for schedule changes in consultation with the teachers involved but leaving the final decision in the hands of the principal.
• To participate in sessions with teachers and other personnel relative to individualizing instruction.
• To confer with parents, in group or individual sessions, concerning the total school program as it relates to the educational, vocational, and personal development of their children.
• To provide for the articulation between the sending school and the receiving school.
• To supervise preparation of transcripts upon request of a receiving school.
• To promote effective public relations through participation in community activities.
• To participate in division-wide initiatives and programs.
• To undertake, in a cooperative endeavor, the continuous evaluation of:
  • The nature and scope of the guidance services as outlined above.
  • The functioning of guidance as an integral part of the total educational program.
  • The effectiveness of guidance services.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the school principal.

Job Specifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities, who are otherwise qualified, to perform the essential functions.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills and/or Abilities Required)

Must possess a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in education or a related field.

Must possess or be eligible for a Virginia Collegiate Professional License or Postgraduate Professional License with appropriate endorsement in school guidance counseling.

Must possess ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.

Must possess the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, staff, parents, and the public.

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

Must have the ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time; exhibit manual dexterity to dial a telephone, to enter data into a computer; to see and read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids; hear and understand speech at normal classroom levels, outdoors and on the telephone; speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in normal classrooms, outdoors, and on the telephone; physical agility to lift up to 25 pounds; and to bend, stoop, sit on the floor, climb stairs, walk and reach overhead.

Work Environment

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. Duties are normally performed in a school/classroom environment. Duties may be occasionally performed on field trips away from school. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Clearance

Criminal Justice Background check, Fingerprinting, TB Assessment

Supervision Received: Principal

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. The applicant will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other related duties as assigned by the Principal or appropriate administrator. Accomack County Public Schools reserves the right to update, revise, or change this job description and related duties at any time.

The Accomack County School System does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, handicap, race, religion, color, or national origin in its employment practices.

"We are an equal opportunity employer."