Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600 schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Office of Student Health and Wellness (OSHW) aims to eliminate health-related barriers to learning and promote health equity. CPS is committed to addressing barriers to student health and wellness and providing education, programs, and activities that help improve the quality of life for students attending our schools. OSHW also strives to decrease health disparities within the district through the coordination of school health programs and student health services. OSHW is leading disease investigation efforts for CPS. Disease Prevention & Response is a stream of work that supports a safe and healthy learning environment.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Disease Prevention & Response Team Lead, this role will support District efforts in investigation, prevention, and control of communicable diseases within the school system by supporting schools in implementation of disease investigation protocols.

The Disease Prevention & Response Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Work with public health officials to review current guidelines and contribute to drafting protocols for disease response at the school level.
• Conduct investigations for infectious diseases in schools and provide guidance for public health response at the school and individual level.
• Records case information in disease reporting systems to ensure accurate collection of data for evaluation, operational and statistical analyses.
• Effectively document investigation and next steps.
• Support schools in answering disease-related questions.
• Stay up to date on local and national disease guidelines.
• Provide updates to school, District and public health leadership on case investigation findings.
• Other duties as assigned.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Disease Prevention & Response Specialist must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university required*
• Master’s degree preferred
• High school diploma with a minimum of ten (10) years of Chicago Public Schools experience in the Child and Family Benefits Unit and/or COVID Response team will be considered in lieu of a degree*

Experience Required:

• Minimum of three (3) years of directly related experience required, including counseling/psychology/social work, education, health administration, nursing, public health, etc.
• Multilingual preferred (Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Polish, Arabic, American Sign Language)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of disease prevention methods
• Ability to quickly learn, understand, and apply the basics of communicable disease, epidemiology, case investigation, and contact tracing
• Good customer service
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing with all stakeholders
• Strong attention to detail
• Highly organized and able to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously without sacrificing quality or accuracy
• The ability to work flexibly in a changing environment
• An understanding of cultural competencies when working with diverse communities
• Proficient computer skills
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and complete HIPAA training requirements
• Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends when needed
• Ability to define problems using data and outline valid conclusions and action steps

Conditions of Employment: As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.

Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.