Job Opportunities in United States

TRUANCY OFFICER (1 YEAR EMPLOYMENT)

Salary: $40,000.00 Annually


Description
Under the general supervision of the Insular Superintendent and/or designee, the Truancy Officer ensures compliance with the school attendance laws of the United States Virgin Islands and is responsible for enforcing the rules and policies of the district for proper school attendance. An employee in this class performs a critical role in the education system of the U.S. Virgin Islands and carries out a variety of special assignments of a highly responsible nature, most specifically tracking students’ attendance; enforcing compulsory attendance laws; determining the cause of chronic absenteeism among students; and helping to resolve truancy, excessive absences, and tardiness problems among students. The Truancy Officer serves as a liaison between the school, teachers, administrators, parents, and the court system, and aids school personnel in developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating student grant-funded programs that are provided to improve students’ attendance. The incumbent shall extend every effort to see that students attend school regularly when not ill and that they report to class promptly. The employee is also expected to use acquired training and experience in executing assignment. An employee in this must be familiar with existing policies, laws, rules, and regulations of the Department of Education, as well as the local and federal laws and codes that govern student attendance. This position requires a confidential relationship to the policymaker.


Duties and Responsibilities

• Implements the State’s and District’s policy on truancy.
  


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  Maintains knowledge of state, local and school system guidelines on attendance.
  


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  Interprets pertinent laws, court verdicts, and school handbook policies on attendance.
  


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  Gathers and assesses attendance data at all schools in the District of St. Thomas/St. John.
  


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  Monitors occurrences of extreme absenteeism, unexcused absences, and excessive tardiness.
  


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  Checks for and investigates any patterns that indicate a student may be at risk.
  


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  Locates students who are habitually absent from school.
  


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  Investigates to determine the underlying cause of continued absences, such as domestic violence, neglect, or homelessness.
  


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  Enforces provisions of compulsory attendance laws.
  


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  Confers with parents, students to discuss attendance issues.
  


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  Meets regularly with teachers, counselors, principals, and other staff to identify and discuss problems of tardiness, attendance, and student truancy.
  


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  Works closely with counselors, teachers, and other staff to identify and counsel at-risk students and their parents.
  


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  Collaborates with teachers to implement absence-mitigation strategies.
  


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  Ensures students and their parents comply with compulsory attendance laws.
  


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  Writes and submits case reports on investigative findings and resolutions.
  


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  Reports issues of concern to child services or law enforcement.
  


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  Conducts routine complaint investigations and is responsible for the case through resolution. If enforcement is necessary, the Truancy Officer provides testimony in administrative hearings or subsequent court actions.
  


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  Conducts on-site investigations. Collects data, materials, and records; interviews identified witnesses and other persons who may have a bearing on the case.
  


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  Conducts home visits and convenes parent conferences on student truancy and attendance problems.
  


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  Compiles, maintains, and files all physical and computerized reports, records and other documents required, including records of all cases investigated and reports required by state agencies.
  


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  Implements and complies with policies established by federal and state laws, the
  
• Superintendent’s Office, and local board policy in student attendance.
  


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  Performs other duties as assigned.
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Criminal Justice, Social Work, Counseling, or a related field.
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  Associates Degree from an accredited college or university in Criminal Justice or a related field and at least two (2) years of work experience directly related to case management, truancy, legal or investigative field.
  

Position Factors
FACTOR 1- KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY THE POSITION
Knowledge of federal and local laws pertaining to school attendance.
Knowledge of departmental policies, regulations, and procedures.
Knowledge of court procedures.
Skill in organizational development and computer software.
Skill in interpersonal communication using tact, patience, and courtesy.
Skill in customer service and recordkeeping.
Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships.
Ability to interpret laws, policies, and procedures.
Ability to communicate effectively with students, parents, educators, and the public.
Ability to write reports, carry out instructions and develop comprehensive plans with minimum supervision.
Ability to make decisions in accordance with established polices and regulations.
Ability to clearly communicate information, ideas, or instructions verbally and in writing.
Ability to function as a positive, contributing member of an educational team.
Ability to meet established deadlines.
Ability to travel district-wide to conduct home visits and visit sites where truant students are reported to be present.
Ability to apply problem-solving techniques to cases.
FACTOR 2- SUPERVISORY CONTROLS
Work is supervised by the Office of the Insular Superintendent, who distributes assignments. The incumbent typically works with minimal supervision while performing routine duties using established procedures with detailed instructions and confers with supervisor on unusual matters. Work is reviewed through meetings, discussions, evaluations, and reports submitted.
FACTOR 3- GUIDELINES
Guidelines includes V.I. Code, Acts, policies, rules and regulations, manuals, the established guidelines of the Office of the Insular Superintendent, and the laws governing the educational system within the U.S. Virgin Islands, particularly laws relating to child welfare and school attendance.
FACTOR 4- COMPLEXITY
The employee must use initiative and personal judgment and is expected to perform with some degree of independence in completing tasks.
FACTOR 5- SCOPE AND EFFECT
The purpose of work is to ensure compliance with local school attendance laws. The incumbent also provides assistance to school personnel in interpreting and enforcing compulsory attendance laws and resolving truancy, excessive absences and tardiness problems; contributes to raising achievement by improving school attendance; assists schools in meeting their obligations and targets in relation to school attendance; promotes positive attitudes to education among students and families and ensures that parents are apprised of their statutory responsibilities; makes unsupervised contact with families at various locations to discuss and assess the reasons impacting individual student’s attendance in order to facilitate student’s return or access to regular full time education; and establishes and develops a professional service to support the school in raising attendance, investigating persistent absences and improving punctuality.
FACTOR 6- PERSONAL CONTACTS
Contacts are fellow employees, stakeholders in education, including parents, other family members, the public, and various public and private organizations.
FACTOR 7- PURPOSE OF CONTACTS
Contacts are made to gather and exchange information, and to ensure effective operation of the program.
FACTOR 8- PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Work requires walking, standing bending, reaching, stretching, pushing, pulling, kneeling, crouching, lifting, or carrying of items. It involves occasional prolonged and irregular hours, and frequent travel district wide.
FACTOR 9- WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work is normally performed in a typical office setting.