High School: School Counselor (Social and Emotional) - Greater Boston (2026-2027)

School Counselor (Social and Emotional) at KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School

At KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School, we believe our students’ character and emotional growth is inextricably linked to their academic progress. Our school counselors play a vital role in shaping the culture of our schools and helping students lead a life of impact and choice. School counselors are responsible for supporting the emotional, social, academic, and character growth and well-being of KIPP Academy Lynn Charter School students and families. Counselors are an integral part of the KIPP team working to ensure our students succeed in school and go on to lead self-sufficient, successful, and happy lives.

This role requires consistent and reliable demonstration of the following essential job functions and key responsibilities:

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Manage aspects of the referral process for social services, partnerships, and special education services, including:

• Provide support and documentation for all students with IEPs

• Meet regularly with students who have mandated counseling on their IEPs

• Conduct regular assessments of current and emerging student and family needs

• Develop and maintain partnerships with external agencies

• Refer individuals and families to external resources and services and collaborating with said services

• Consult with the school’s Student Response Teams to develop comprehensive supports and interventions to students who are presenting challenging behaviors.

• Communicate effectively with students, families, and colleagues, and respond to family concerns promptly and effectively.

• Participate actively in team meetings, school-wide activities, professional development, and other events.

• Directly support the students’ social and emotional health to ensure their well-being and safety.

• Communicate with proper support staff about student behavior, attendance, and other possible challenges, and support Principal, Deans, and teachers when discipline issues arise.

• Provide recommendations to the staff and leadership team around approaches to working with struggling students.

• Establish a professional rapport and strong relationship with students, staff, and families.

• Display the highest ethical and professional behavior and confidentiality when working with students, parents, and staff.

 

School and Professional Responsibilities

• Participate in school-wide and individual professional development, including pre-service training over the summer and weekly during the academic year

• Take ownership for the development of your craft and seek feedback from your coach (meet 1x/1-2 weeks with coach, implement feedback, engage in co-planning and active practices, participate in live coaching, etc.)

• Perform necessary support duties including (but not limited to) coverage, bus, lunch, and dismissal duties

• Develop strong relationships with families through participating in school events and consistent phone calls home

• Be willing to offer support and receive constructive feedback from colleagues in order to create a professional working atmosphere that is conducive to accountability, change, and improvement

• Collaborate with grade level and content teams to tackle common challenges and implement grade-wide systems, sharing responsibility for all students

• Dependable attendance according to our school calendar

 

General Requirements and Responsibilities

• Embody KIPP MA’s Code of Conduct by acting with integrity, leading with humanity, centering self-awareness and critical consciousness, taking personal responsibility, and engaging productively

• Participate and engage in regional professional development and community events as required

• Demonstrated ability to collect and interpret data, evaluate, reason, define problems, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, and make reasonable judgments and decisions in a timely manner in accordance with the needs of the school

• Self-awareness, flexibility and emotional intelligence to navigate a setting with students who express diverse needs

• The consistent use of interpersonal and self-management skills to effectively support behavioral and emotional needs of students to ensure a safe and inclusive environment, as well as build relationships and manage conflict with students, staff, and caregivers

• Effective communication skills to perform assigned duties and to meaningfully exchange information with students, staff, families and others in person, through written communication, in front of groups, and on virtual platforms

• Physical mobility to move self in various positions in order to execute duties effectively, which may include kneeling, walking, pushing/pulling, squatting, twisting, turning, bending, stooping and reaching overhead

• Physical strength sufficient to periodically lift and/or carry 20 pounds of materials or supplies and to physically restrain a student to keep from harming themself and/or others in an emergency situation

• Manual dexterity sufficient to perform repetitive hand/wrist/arm motions and to operate a computer and office equipment

• Please note that any employee who serves in the role of a school counselor must obtain informed consent, using the School’s Informed Consent Form, from at least one parent or guardian prior to providing counseling services to the student. If the parents or guardians are separated, divorced or never married, the school counselor should use best efforts to obtain written informed consent from both parents or guardians, unless prevented from doing so by mitigating circumstances. In situations where written consent cannot be obtained despite best efforts, the provider should obtain verbal consent from the applicable parents or guardians, document the conversation, and keep a copy with the student’s counseling records. Regardless of the form, informed consent to treatment must be obtained from at least one parent or guardian; for minors whose parents are divorced, separated, or never married, ideally from both.

 

KIPP MA staff are supported in their demanding work by experienced and dedicated leadership and staff who have themselves proven successful in the teaching role. Our leaders maintain consistent school-wide systems and procedures - academic, behavioral, cultural, logistical - designed to permit staff to do their best work. 

In addition to the responsibilities listed above, there will occasionally be other duties as assigned that staff will engage in to help promote a positive and safe learning environment and culture.