Truancy Specialist

Hamilton County Department of Education; Chattanooga (TN); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Hamilton County Schools is seeking a Truancy Officer to enforce attendance laws and coordinate with administrators, teachers, and families to reduce truancy. You will investigate cases, prepare petitions, and participate in court proceedings when required to protect student success.

The role emphasizes professional collaboration, confidentiality, and timely reporting, with duties including home visits and liaison work with social services as needed.

Qualifications

• Four-year college degree in a relevant area such as education, guidance, student services or criminal justice preferred.
• Three years of successful experience with prevention or intervention programs related to education support or truancy prevention/reduction; or any equivalent education, training, and experience.

Responsibilities

• Identifies students at risk for truancy and enforces attendance laws.
• Investigates truancy cases and reports results to administrators.
• Initiates petitions when necessary to adhere to Tennessee statutes concerning school enrollment and attendance.
• Interacts with stakeholders in a professional and respectful manner.
• Attends court hearings and monitors petitions until resolved.
• Confers with teachers, counselors, principals, and staff to identify attendance problems.
• Maintains confidentiality and liaises with social agencies as needed.
• Provides residency checks and conducts home/community visits when necessary.
• Submits monthly reports on referrals, investigations, and court outcomes.

Skills

Communication

Planning & organizing

Judgment under pressure

Education

Four-year college degree

Job description

Orchard Knob Elementary

Orchard Knob Elementary is a PreK-5 school located in Chattanooga, TN. If you are positive, energetic, committed to participating and supporting a learning team, and embrace students and families of diverse cultures, we are looking for you! Our students are “roaring” to learn and our teachers are committed to continual learning.

Overview

We expect that all candidates who apply for a position in our school embrace our students and families and actively participate in continual professional learning. We expect and promote a positive, pleasant, and purposeful learning environment for all, and we embrace a culture that fosters the development of life‑long learners.

We are looking for teachers who possess exceptional skills in the following areas: relationship building; communication in all forms with students, staff, and parents; classroom management; planning and providing relevant and meaningful instruction; student engagement; collaboration with teammates, coaches, and administration; problem solving; and creativity.

If you are passionate about meeting the needs of the whole child, excited about growing as an educator through participation in ongoing professional development, and motivated to go above and beyond the status quo to see our staff and students succeed, OKE is the place for you!

Hamilton County Schools, located in Chattanooga, TN, is working to ensure that all students thrive and experience a future without limits. We are committed to excellence for every student and are seeking outstanding leaders, teachers, support staff, and district employees who desire to make a difference in the lives of students. With nearly 75 schools, we are confident that you can find your place in Hamilton County.

Learn more about working for Hamilton County Schools at https://careers.hcde.org and get to know us and our strategic plan, Opportunity 2030.

The purpose of this job is to enforce all laws and board policies relating to compulsory school attendance.

Responsibilities

• Identifies students at risk for truancy and aids in the enforcement of laws and board policies relating to student attendance.
• Investigates all suspected cases of truancy as referred by administrators and reports back on the results of investigations. Such investigations shall be conducted as necessary, day or evening, and shall include personal contact with the guardian. The truant officer shall attempt to discover the reason for the absence and advise both the student and parent concerning attendance laws.
• Implements and complies with federal and state laws, state and local school board policy in the area of student attendance. Initiates the petition proceedings when necessary to adhere to Tennessee statutes concerning school enrollment and attendance.
• Interacts with all stakeholders in a professional and respectful manner.
• Attends court hearings. Provides monitoring of all petitions until resolved. Processes truancy petitions through the court for habitual offenders and represents the district at such proceedings.
• Confers regularly with teachers, counselors, principals, and other staff to identify problems of tardiness, attendance, and student truancy. Works closely with school personnel concerning students who are frequently tardy and who have not responded to normal efforts. Confers with students in matters of attendance and tardiness and make a reasonable effort to gain their cooperation to improve attendance.
• Maintains confidentiality.
• Acts as a liaison with various social agencies to which students may be referred.
• Provides residency checks of students as requested by the administrators or school principals.
• Moves about area, when necessary, during school hours and provides immediate service to pupils. Returns those found truant. Makes home visits or community contacts when necessary to provide appropriate intervention in truancy matters. Maintains good public relations and diplomacy whenever entering the home of a student.
• Submits a written report to the supervisor on a monthly basis, or as requested by the supervisor, concerning student referrals, investigations, court proceedings, and outcome of each. Submits mileage documentation to the supervisor.
• Follows established procedures to ensure assigned areas are safe.
• Works collaboratively with administration and stakeholders.
• Attends work and arrives to work on time.
• Maintains confidentiality.
• Adheres to the Teacher Code of Ethics as defined by Tennessee Law.
• Uses computers and other technology to enter and access information related to essential job functions.
• May operate a motor vehicle to conduct various work activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Four‑year college degree in a relevant area such as education, guidance, student services or criminal justice preferred. Three (3) years of successful experience with prevention or intervention programs related to education support or truancy prevention/reduction; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job.

Skills

• Demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrates excellent planning, organizational, problem‑solving, decision‑making, and time management skills.
• Demonstrates good judgment when confronted with angry, emotional students, parents, or custodial parents.

Compensation

Salary is based on a combination of relevant education and experience.

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