Teacher - Social Worker (COA) (SY26-27)

Title - Teacher - Social Worker (COA) (SY26-27)

About Chelsea Public Schools:

The Chelsea Public Schools (CPS) is a gateway school system that welcomes and educates all students and families. In CPS, we believe all children are capable of achieving their personal best by ensuring a safe and supportive environment for school and classroom environments. The school system educates over 6,200 students in 11 schools, including a pre-K-1st grade school, 4 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, a virtual school, and 2 high schools. CPS is a culturally responsive school district. We believe that students learn best when they are engaged in meaningful relationships that fosters and promotes high expectations and risk taking. We are a district of multilingual students where languages are an asset to student development and growth. More information about CPS can be found on our website at www.chelseaschools.com/cps.

About Chelsea Opportunity Academy:

Established in 2018, the Chelsea Opportunity Academy (COA) is the city’s school for students who are facing the risk of dropping out of high school, or those who have already discontinued and are seeking re-engagement due to competing priorities outside of school. Offering nurturing staff-student relationships aimed at fostering the healing of trauma, our program provides a flexible operating schedule to support the nearly 80% of students who are working while earning their diploma. Additionally, our curated curriculum is designed to drive students towards success post-graduation. With the school's strongest core value being "Every Day is a New Day", the Chelsea Opportunity Academy empowers students to redefine themselves and envision a brighter future.  To date, the Chelsea Opportunity Academy has graduated over 200 students, all of whom are in post-secondary institutes or gainfully employed.  COA is seeking a principal who understands and embraces the unique spirit of our school, builds strong relationships with students and staff, and holds a deep belief that all students can thrive when loved, supported, and challenged.

Job Responsibilities:       

• Responsible for crisis management/mental health coordination; 
• Provides individual/group counseling to address mental health, behavioral, social/emotional needs; 
• Supports academic success of students through collaboration with school staff to implement strategies that promote student learning;
• Serves as a member of various teams such as IST, PLCs, School Leadership Teams;
• Completes Social Assessments of students being evaluated for Special Education Services and writes counseling goals, progress notes for students on Special Education caseload; 
• Provides wraparound coordination for students and families through collaboration with outside providers (DCF, NSMHA, MGH, DMH, South Bay, etc….); 
• Outreach to students/families through phone calls, meetings, home visits, and connection to services; 
• Consults w/ school personnel around clinical issues;  
• Works in collaboration with other CPS District Social Workers to provide necessary parent/guardian workshops and school/district programming on subjects such as substance use, communication, and mental health (may include classroom presentations, family engagement activities); 
• Responsible for reporting suspected child abuse/neglect to DCF (51-A filings); 
• Additional related responsibilities may exist at school level.
• Additional related responsibilities as determined by the Principal or Designee.
• Conduct home visits as a method to access family and conduct interviews in response to school referrals for attendance, mental health, and other concerns.
• Participate in all school wide family engagement events.

Qualifications:

• MA DESE School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor Licensure;  
• Licensed clinical social worker with demonstrated success working with immigrant and refugee populations;
• Minimum of 3 years experience working in an urban educational setting;
• Experience in a collaborative educational environment and shared decision-making modeled on Professional Learning Communities highly desirable.

Strongly Preferred:

• Spanish/English speaking candidate

Terms: All teachers are members of the Chelsea Teachers Union (CTU). The length of the school day is 6.5 hours, but subject to longer hours for schools with extended day. The number of school days are 184 days. See salary information on CPS website.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Chelsea Public Schools is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws. Additionally, we prohibit retaliation against individuals who oppose such discrimination and harassment or who participate in an equal opportunity investigation.