Safe Schools and Mental Health Specialist (Grant-Funded)

Safe Schools And Mental Health Specialist

Under the general direction of the Senior Director of Student Support Services, the Safe Schools and Mental Health Specialist is responsible for facilitating awareness, training, prevention, and intervention activities around harassment, bullying, mandated reporting of child abuse, and suicide issues for all NPS schools. The specialist will also cultivate and develop community partnerships to support awareness, training, prevention, and intervention.

Essential functions of the class include:

• Coordinate beginning of the year prevention and intervention training for staff and students.
• Coordinate and lead awareness and prevention campaigns.
• Research, develop, and recommend resources and best practices for schools in addressing assigned areas.
• Support and monitor schools around implementation of NPS protocols and policies for assigned areas.
• Collaborate with appropriate school based staff to include administrators, counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and others on implementation.
• Plan and organize harassment, bullying, and suicide prevention training in collaboration with school staff, to include securing outside agencies and partnerships for additional training.
• Manage and report data related to activities associated with harassment, bullying, and suicide prevention.
• Develop a process for screening students for harassment, bullying, and suicidal concerns and to assist schools with monitoring students after they have been screened.
• Provide assistance in finding resources and assistance for students that are in crisis and support follow-up efforts.
• Collect and report mental health awareness training data.
• Collaborates with school staff to develop student lead mental health awareness campaigns for the division.
• Serve as liaison between the division and agencies to include: human services, court services, community services board, and/or community based mental health agencies as they relate to mental health awareness.
• Act as a resource to administrators, teachers, student support personnel, school social workers, school psychologists, school counselors, teachers, and health services personnel as necessary in relation to social emotional learning, trauma informed care, and mental health awareness.
• Conduct professional development sessions on mental health awareness for division staff.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities include:

• Thorough knowledge of practices of school personnel administration, employment interviewing strategies and procedures, and the legal status governing the relations between employers and employees, Virginia School Law, and of certification required by the State Department of Education.
• Thorough knowledge of the general organization and function of a public school system, and organizational mission of a personnel department.
• Thorough knowledge of the applicable provisions of the Virginia Retirement System and Federal OASI provisions.
• Ability to conduct professional interviews, to deliver articulate oral and written reports and effectively interact with administrators, teachers, and classified employees.
• Ability to utilize a wide variety of computer technology hardware and software applications.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely orally and in writing.
• Excellent interviewing, supervision, data collection, and report writing skills.
• Thorough knowledge of research, data analysis, and report presentation techniques.
• Thorough knowledge of automated data processing applications.
• Ability to maintain records and prepare complex reports from such records.

Minimum education, training, and experience requirements include:

• Master's degree in education, counseling, or human services, and considerable experience in student-related matters, including experience with student behavior and discipline.

License/certification is not required.

Physical attributes include normal physical attributes required for walking, standing sitting, operating office equipment, communication equipment, lifting, moving, carrying light equipment, supplies, etc.

Hazards involve exposure to normal, everyday risks in an office or school environment.

Unusual demands include continuous stress, constant deadlines, and frequent interruptions.