Social Worker - 0.8 FTE

Social Worker - 0.8 FTE
Thornapple Elementary

Reports to: Building Principal, Director of Student Services

Salary: Per the FHEA Master Agreement Salary Schedule

Schedule: 2025-2026 School Year

Job Summary: To assist students in resolving personal, emotional, and social problems which interfere with their adjustment to school and their ability to satisfactorily profit from their educational program. To consult with parents, administrators and teachers, helping to meet the emotional and social needs of children. This is a general education and special education position.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in social work
• Full or temporary approval from the Michigan Department of Education as a school social worker.

Essential Job Functions:

• Identify interference with the ability of students to make progress in the educational setting and consult with school staff in planning and implementing appropriate interventions.
• Use a variety of social work methods to enable students to cope with problems and to make satisfactory use of the educational experience.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with students, families, and colleagues.
• Complete comprehensive diagnostic evaluations of students suspected of having a disability and collaborate with the IEP team in the determination of eligibility for special education in accordance with IDEA and MARSE.
• Provide direct therapy and intervention for students with disabilities who have emotional or behavioral concerns.
• Collaborate and consult with principals, teachers and other personnel to foster use of existing school programs and procedures as well as assist in planning new programs and procedures related to educational, social, and emotional needs of students.
• Coordinate referrals and programming, and serve as liaison with community agencies, private therapists, physicians, psychiatric inpatient and residential treatment programs as requested.
• Coordinate or serve as a member of multidisciplinary evaluation teams, building special education or child study teams.
• Assist in fostering the professional learning of school staff as requested.
• Collect and use data to make decisions regarding services for students. Maintain adequate records, files and other student data as required and allowed by special education law, IDEA, and FERPA (Family Education Rights and Privacy Act).
• Conduct Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) and develop Positive Behavior Support Plans (PBSP) for any student whose behavior interferes with their own learning or the learning of others.
• Willingness to be trained in and utilize CPI, CPR, and First Aid Strategies.
• Perform any other related duties as assigned.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, talk, hear (in a moderate or noisy environment). The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and ability to adjust/focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Work Environment:

The noise level in the work environment is usually loud to moderate. Work may be performed indoors and/or outdoors. The employee is directly responsible for the safety, well-being and work output of students.

Mental Functions:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to compare, analyze, communicate both orally and in writing, copy, coordinate, instruct, compute, synthesize, evaluate, use interpersonal skills, compile and negotiate.

Benefits & Evaluation:
In accordance with the FHEA Master Agreement.

Terms of Employment:

The employee will remain free of any alcohol or drugs throughout his/her employment with the district as outlined
in Board Policy #4210.

The Forest Hills Public School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, or sexual orientation), marital status, disability, genetic information, or any other legally prohibited basis in its employment decisions or the provision of services.