Director of Ombuds

ABOUT OUR DISTRICT:

The Syracuse City School District is undergoing a new phase of innovation and transformation with the goal of ensuring that all students graduate high school with the skills needed to be ready for college and career. For Syracuse, all means all. The School Board and Syracuse community have charged the Superintendent with improving student achievement, and she is seeking a dedicated and diverse team of educators to partner with her in moving the district toward its goals.

 

The Syracuse City School District represents 35 schools and programs, including 6 high schools, 6 middle schools, 6 K-8 schools, 13 elementary schools, and 4 alternative education programs, serving approximately 19,000 students Pre-K–12. Of these students, 82.3% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, 20.1% are served by the Office of Special Education, and 83% are students of color. 
 

 JOB OVERVIEW:

The Director of Ombuds reports to the Chief of Student Support Services. The Ombuds Director is charged with promoting procedural and substantive fairness and full compliance with the SCSD Code of Conduct, New York State Education Law § 3214, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which are incorporated in New York State law and regulations. The Director of Ombuds accomplishes this by soliciting and taking complaints about student discipline from parents, students, and community advocates, investigating and evaluating these complaints, and serving as liaison with the SCSD administrative staff, including but not limited to the Chief of Student Support Services, the Executive Director for Staff Relations, the Director of Special Education, the Chief of Staff, and the Superintendent, to resolve these complaints. The Director of Ombuds also works to identify systemic issues that diminish fairness, impede full compliance with the Code of Conduct and the law, or impair full communication between the SCSD and parents, students, and community advocates.

In carrying out the functions of this position, the Director of Ombuds is guided by the principles of independence, impartiality, confidentiality, and informality. They must be accessible, approachable, trustworthy, respectful, and knowledgeable of relevant law. The Director of Ombuds does not participate in formal adjudicative or administrative procedures, but does provide information to parents, students, and community members about these procedures and the Code of Conduct to promote and encourage parents and students to fully engagement in students' education and, where necessary, the student disciplinary process.

WHO WE WANT:

Successful SCSD employees are passionately committed to urban education and all in for Syracuse students. They:

• Believe strongly that all students can learn at high levels;
• Demonstrate commitment to serving urban students, schools or communities, and to closing the achievement gap;
• Demonstrate willingness to put the interests of students above all others;
• Actively contribute to a culture of high expectations in schools and the district;
• Adapt seamlessly to the complexities of the urban school environment; and
• Follow current trends in education policy and research.
   

 REPORTS TO: Chief of Student Support Services

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintain a consistent presence in the SCSD schools and in the Syracuse community.

• Advertise to parents, students, and community members the various means of contacting the Director of Ombuds (via email, text, or telephone) to discuss a complaint. Ensure that this process is professional, yet sufficiently informal so that parents, student, and community advocates are comfortable approaching the Director of Ombuds with a problem.

• Ensure that information conveyed by parents, students, and community advocates is kept confidential in compliance with FERPA.

• Liaison with the appropriate administrative staff to resolve the complaint. The Director of Ombuds is responsible for responding to each complaint, even if no action is taken on it. If no action is taken, the Director of Ombuds must maintain documentation as to why no action was necessary.

• Develop and maintain a confidential system for recording each complaint which, at a minimum, includes the following information: the substance of the complaint, the date of the complaint, the action taken, and the date a response was provided to the parent, student, or community member who lodged the complaint. 
• Serve as resource to employees to ensure that they have the opportunity to raise concerns or suggestions regarding the District's disciplinary policies, including any issues in connection with fairness and non-discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity.
• Provide oversight and guidance to the school-based staff around student discipline, including the creation of a reporting schedule to update the Superintendent on the progress of implementation of the schools' Multi-Tiered System of Support )MTSS) Plan. 
• Meet with school administrators, hearing officers and student advocates to elicit information about implementation of the Code of Conduct.
• The Ombudsman shall collect data regarding impartial hearing officers and Employees conducting MDRs based on climate assessments of students and parents, and feedback from advocates. 
• On a quarterly basis, meet with the Superintendent and appropriate staff to review the data collected and the information obtained from meeting with school administrators, hearing officers and student advocates. The goal of this meeting is to identify specific systemic issues regarding implementation of the revised Code of Conduct and to develop an action plan to address these issues.
• Work with community-based and professional organizations to develop informational materials to be made available to parents and students regarding the SCSD Code of Conduct, the school disciplinary process and student and parent rights during this process, as well as the rights of students with a disability or suspected disability who are being subjected to suspension.
• At least once each academic semester, partner with a community-based or faith organization in the City of Syracuse to conduct a school discipline and Code of Conduct forum for parents, students, and other community members. During this forum, parents and students will be provided with information about the Code of Conduct and their rights during the student disciplinary process. Parents, students, and community members will also have an opportunity to ask questions, make comments about implementation of the Code of Conduct and the school district's compliance with state and federal student discipline law, and identify systemic issues with implementation of the Code of Conduct and compliance with New York State and federal law as it pertains to student discipline.
• NYS School District Leaders (SDL)
• Advanced degree, specifically Ph.D. in Education, Ed.D., or J.D.
• Experience interpreting and/or implementing education law and NYS laws
• Minimum five (5) years of documented experience with school discipline issues and with IDEA as it applies to disciplining students with disabilities
• Working knowledge of the development and use of alternatives to exclusionary disciplinary practices.
• Experience working with school administrators (preferred)
   

QUALIFICATIONS:

SALARY: Competitive salary and benefits. Refer to the District’s Unit 3A Benefits Handbook for Unrepresented Administrators.
 

This position is a supervisory "at-will" Superintendent's Appointment. As such, it is not a probationary appointment and may be terminated at any time. Applicants knowingly waive rights under New York Education Law or Civil Service Law to a permanent appointment or to Section 75 rights under Civil Service Law.