25/26 Virtual School Social Worker

The Opportunity: PLA School Social Workers are experts at helping students who have social, emotional, and/or behavioral problems reach their full academic and social potential. The licensed School Social Worker (SSW) will provide comprehensive social work services to students by addressing barriers that prevent students from receiving the full benefit of their educational experience. SSW will identify students experiencing social, emotional, and or behavioral problems that interfere with school performance, and has the overall goal of serving as the link between school, home, and community stakeholders. 

The Details: 

Key Deliverables: 

•  Reviews student records to identify previous barriers and/or interventions to determine environmental impacts and appropriate resources
•  Provides individual and group counseling in response to a school-wide crisis
• Develops and maintain relationships with community agencies and other resources to meet student needs
• Helps families gain a better understanding of school programs, policies, and services
•  Assists teachers and parents in developing and implementing behavior management plans to improve problem behaviors
• Communicates with staff, administration, and parents concerning students’ social, emotional, and behavioral progress
• Assists students in improving their academic, personal, and social functioning
• Conducts home visits as a method to access the family and to conduct interviews

Experience and Education Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Social Work Preferred
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker or Licensed School Social Worker
• Minimum 3 years of experience in Social Work
• Current knowledge of community resources and support systems available to assist students and their families
• Must possess successful experiences working with a diverse population of people
• A passion for working with students and families in under-served communities 

The Network: PLA is a transformative education nonprofit changing communities across the country by providing a depth of resources not found in the traditional education model.  In addition to serving as one of the country’s best turnaround school operators and successfully launching charter school start-ups, PLA also provides our school communities with a successful, research-based summer learning program (Summer Advantage), a successful Reading and Math Intervention program (Reading and Math Advantage), and a workforce development program (PLA University) that provides expanded opportunities for our high school graduates, along with the family members of our current staff and students. This menu of programs and services is unique to our network, sets us apart from other organizations, and provides expanded opportunities for our staff through career advancement opportunities, and expanded income opportunities.  

The Campus: Phalen Virtual Leadership Academy (PVLA)  is a tuition-free online school supporting Indiana families from Grades K-12. PVLA was founded in 2020 with the mission of empowering our scholars through high quality education from the comfort of their own safe space. PVLA provides a 100% live teaching structure on a daily basis while also following a traditional academic school year calendar. While also providing a quality education, the campus’ mission is catering to our scholars' social emotional learning. PVLA also offers Summer Advantage USA for Grades K-8 and PLA University, a free job training program for our PLA families.

Compensation and benefits:

PLA School Social Workers receive a base salary that is competitively aligned with the market. In addition to a base salary, PLA School Leaders receive: 

• Competitive Compensation
• Benefits – Healthcare, vision, and dental insurance
• Monthly professional development opportunities including participation in our annual Leader Institute
• Opportunities to collaborate and brainstorm with other School Leaders in the network
• Incentive and bonus opportunities

PLA is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.  We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristics as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.