School Summary
Lighthouse Connections Academy (LCA) is a tuition-free virtual public charter school serving students in grades K-12 throughout Michigan. LCA is authorized by Oxford Community Schools and governed by an independent Board of Directors. The school contracts with Connections Education LLC to provide its educational program and other services. Connections Academy, a division of Connections Education, is accredited by AdvancED/Cognia.
Position Summary and Responsibilities
Working from our office in Troy, Michigan, or your home office, the Truancy Officer is responsible for working with students, families, courts, teachers, and school administrators to ensure that students are attending and engaging in school. The Truancy Officer will work cooperatively with community resources, school staff, the probation department, law enforcement, juvenile courts, school districts, and other agencies to effectively intervene and redirect youth towards positive school attendance and towards a healthy lifestyle.
Responsibilities
- Collects and prepares data for the purpose of analyzing the truancy process, and to develop recommendations for improving the truancy program;
- Collects and prepares data and reports as required in the day-to-day management of the truancy process;
- Communicates regularly with school staff for the purpose of establishing cooperative and innovative approaches to solving truancy issues;
- Completes status reports for the purpose of demonstrating progress in the truancy process, as well as to help display/project future workload;
- Coordinates with courts, and occasionally law enforcement agencies, for the purpose of collecting and disseminating information pertaining to truancy;
- Develops and implements process, including paperwork to file truancy charges in 83 counties throughout the state of Michigan. Each county may differ in what is allowable and what is required in order to file truancy charges;
- Schedules and conducts truancy meetings with parents and students for the purpose of ensuring that attendance and truancy policies are understood and followed and to facilitate improved student attendance;
- Organizes, prepares, and presents truancy information for each student for court hearings and court cases requiring the appearance of a school representative;
- Represents Lighthouse Connections Academy in truancy court hearings;
- Provides updates and communicates regularly with court and probation personnel regarding truant students; and
- Other duties as assigned.
Requirements
- Please note, if given a job offer, 2-step authentication is required to login to all systems
- Michigan residency preferred
- Strong Knowledge of state laws regarding truancy for school age minors and how to file charges in jurisdictions across the state of Michigan
- Strong knowledge of LCA’s attendance reporting and truancy policies, as well as the LCA escalation system
- 1-3 years of experience in Education, Business, or Social Services is preferred
- Community College and/or Vocational School degree with work experience in a job-related area
- BA in Education, Business, Criminal Justice, or Social Services is preferred
- Valid Michigan driver's license and proof of automobile insurance
- Ability to multi-task, and a logical mind to assess, filter, organize, and work with data
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
- Ability to explain information and concepts clearly and concisely, with confidence, and to defend position, when challenged
- Must be comfortable in a court setting
- Ability to communicate tactfully and frankly with high risk students and families
- Finesse and grace to work through tough conversations with people who are sometimes upset and confrontational
- Ability to build positive relationships and educate courts across Michigan about attendance and truancy in a cyber-school
- Travel and attendance at in-person events, including State Testing is required throughout the school year, as determined by the school. This may require overnight travel
- Ability to work some occasional evening hours, as needed to support some families
Lighthouse Connections Academy strives to create an inclusive environment that welcomes and values the diversity of the people we serve. We foster fairness, equity, and inclusion to create a workplace environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.
Want to know more about being an educator at Connections Academy? Please join us for a live virtual information session held every other Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. We hope to see you there!
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