Job description
Reports to: Assistant Superintendent of Equity
Founded in 1647, Boston Public Schools (BPS) is the oldest public school district in the country. With approximately 56,000 students from over one hundred countries, over 10,000 employees, and a $1.3 billion dollar annual budget, the BPS is the largest school district in Massachusetts.
The Office of Equity is charged with monitoring and helping to ensure employment and educational equity district-wide. The Office has primary responsibility for investigating reports of possible violations of internal policies regarding bias-based conduct, sexual misconduct, and disability and religious accommodations from employees, students, and families.
The Director will assist the Assistant Superintendent of Equity in carrying out the district's responsibilities to attain employment and educational equity, including but not limited to management of the Office of Equity, analysis and advising on matters pertaining to educational equity, and implementation of non-discrimination and equal opportunity policies.
The Director’s primary role is to manage a high volume caseload of employee requests for disability accommodations.
We are seeking a highly skilled, energetic, committed, collaborative individual to join our team.
Responsibilities
- Oversee and conduct interactive dialogues in response to employee requests for disability, pregnancy-related, and religious accommodations, and student requests for religious accommodations.
- Serve as the district’s Section 504 Coordinator, partnering with the Office of Student Support to provide development, implementation, training, guidance, and enforcement of students’ right to disability accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
- Supervise staff as assigned, such as student interns.
- Serve as the Office of Equity representative on district-wide cross-functional teams to apply an equity lens.
- Attend fact-finding conferences, public hearings, and court proceedings to represent the Office on employee and student accommodation cases with outside agencies, such as Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.
- Document and provide analysis of accommodation requests and responses.
- Provide effective and supportive coaching to school administrators, central office supervisors, and others who may seek assistance in addressing accommodation-related concerns.
- Perform other tasks as assigned by the Assistant Superintendent of Equity, including assisting with internal investigations of alleged bias-based conduct as needed.
Qualifications - Required:
- Bachelor’s Degree.
- Demonstrated knowledge of civil rights laws, particularly related to disability, pregnancy-related, and religious accommodation.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Demonstrated experience with project management, working under tight deadlines to achieve goals.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously.
- Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented, fast-paced environment both within the Office and across the district, initiating and maintaining cooperative relationships with individuals at every level of the internal organization as well as students, families, and external stakeholders.
- Able to work independently, applying impeccable judgment, discretion, and integrity.
- Ability and willingness to reflect and constantly improve on job performance.
- Demonstrated commitment to continually developing cultural competence, with a history of working effectively with people who are members of a wide variety of protected categories and other identities.
- Current authorization to work in the United States by the first day of employment.
Qualifications - Preferred:
- Prior work experience in the field of urban public education and/or knowledge of the Boston Public Schools.
- Proven leadership skills.
- Demonstrated experience advising senior level managers.
- Demonstrated experience managing a large volume of disability accommodation casework.
- Advanced degree in Human Resources, Education, Law, Policy, Public Administration or other relevant field.
- Working knowledge of Google and Microsoft Office products, including Google Docs, Drive, Calendar, Sheets, and Slides, and Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Bilingual in Spanish, Haitian Creole, or Mandarin.
- Background in mediation, restorative justice, or other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
Qualities:
- Results-oriented team player who can work collaboratively, but is also able to take initiative and work independently.
- Ability to maintain neutrality and confidentiality.
- “Can-do,” “all hands on deck” attitude.
- Exceptional attention to detail.
- Ability to manage stress effectively.
- A passionate commitment to achieving a bias-free workplace and bias-free schools, and a firm belief that there is no more urgent task than ensuring that every child in Boston has equitable access to a high-quality public education.
Essential functions of the job include, but are not limited to:
- Physical presence in the Office during the times that employees and students may contact the Office, which may sometimes include early morning, evening and weekend hours.
- Ability to manage a high volume caseload and meet prescribed deadlines.
- Expert knowledge of state and federal civil rights laws.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to travel throughout the district.
Terms: Managerial, D61.
The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.
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