Lighthouse Connections Academy - Middle School Truancy Officer, 2023-2024 School Year

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

• Other duties as assigned.
• Coordinates with courts, and occasionally law enforcement agencies, for the purpose of collecting and disseminating information pertaining to truancy;
• Collects and prepares data and reports as required in the day-to-day management of the truancy process;
• 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;
• Completes status reports for the purpose of demonstrating progress in the truancy process, as well as to help display/project future workload;
• 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;
• Provides updates and communicates regularly with court and probation personnel regarding truant students; and
• Collects and prepares data for the purpose of analyzing the truancy process, and to develop recommendations for improving the truancy program;
• Represents Lighthouse Connections Academy in truancy court hearings;
• Communicates regularly with school staff for the purpose of establishing cooperative and innovative approaches to solving truancy issues;
• Organizes, prepares, and presents truancy information for each student for court hearings and court cases requiring the appearance of a school representative;

Requirements

• Must be comfortable in a court setting
• Ability to communicate tactfully and frankly with high risk students and families
• Ability to work some occasional evening hours, as needed to support some families
• Ability to build positive relationships and educate courts across Michigan about attendance and truancy in a cyber-school
• Finesse and grace to work through tough conversations with people who are sometimes upset and confrontational
• Ability to explain information and concepts clearly and concisely, with confidence, and to defend position, when challenged
• 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
• Strong Knowledge of state laws regarding truancy for school age minors and how to file charges in jurisdictions across the state of Michigan
• Michigan residency preferred
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Community College and/or Vocational School degree with work experience in a job-related area
• Valid Michigan driver's license and proof of automobile insurance
• 1-3 years of experience in Education, Business, or Social Services is preferred
• Strong knowledge of LCA’s attendance reporting and truancy policies, as well as the LCA escalation system
• BA in Education, Business, Criminal Justice, or Social Services is preferred
• Ability to multi-task, and a logical mind to assess, filter, organize, and work with data