Job Description

Middle School Dean of Students

The Dean of Students is a visible, student-centered member of the building leadership team who assists the Principal in creating and sustaining a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and academically focused school environment. The Dean leads schoolwide systems for positive behavior, attendance, student engagement, restorative practices, and tiered student support; responds to student conduct concerns with fairness and consistency; and partners with students, families, staff, and community resources to remove barriers to learning. The Dean uses data to identify needs, coordinate interventions, monitor progress, and strengthen school culture while supporting the District's mission, Board policies, and applicable state and federal requirements.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in education, counseling, social work, educational leadership, or a related field.
2. Valid Michigan teaching certificate, school counselor credential, or other appropriate pupil-services credential preferred.
3. Minimum of three years of successful experience working with students and staff in a secondary school setting.
4. Knowledge of adolescent development, MTSS, PBIS, restorative practices, social-emotional learning, trauma-responsive practices, and behavior intervention strategies.
5. Ability to investigate conduct concerns, apply a student code of conduct consistently, de-escalate conflict, communicate with families, and maintain confidential records.
6. Strong leadership, organizational, technological, problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills.
7. Ability to satisfy Michigan criminal history and District employment requirements.
8. Such alternatives as the Superintendent or designee may find appropriate and acceptable.

Reports to: Middle School Principal

Supervises: Designated student-support personnel, paraprofessionals, lunch/recess supervisors, or other staff as assigned by the Principal.

Essential Competencies:

• Student-Centered Leadership: Builds trusting relationships and centers student belonging, dignity, voice, safety, and success.
• Culture and Climate: Develops and reinforces clear, equitable, culturally responsive expectations and routines.
• MTSS and Data Use: Uses attendance, behavior, academic, and support data to match interventions and evaluate impact.
• Restorative Practice: Promotes reflection, accountability, repair of harm, relationship restoration, and successful reentry.
• Family Partnership: Engages families as collaborators and communicates promptly and respectfully.
• Collaboration: Works effectively with administrators, educators, student-support personnel, and community partners.
• Judgment and Confidentiality: Makes timely, fair, legally sound decisions and protects confidential information.
• Continuous Improvement: Seeks feedback, adapts practice, and persists in solving complex problems.

Performance Duties and Responsibilities:

Leadership, Culture, and Schoolwide Systems

1. Serve on the middle school leadership team and support the District mission, school improvement goals, Board policies, and building procedures.
2. Maintain a visible presence during arrival, passing time, lunch, dismissal, and school activities.
3. Lead schoolwide systems that teach, model, recognize, and reinforce positive behavior, attendance, engagement, citizenship, and belonging.
4. Coordinate implementation and improvement of MTSS, PBIS, restorative practices, social-emotional learning, and culture initiatives.
5. Gather student, staff, and family voice to identify strengths, barriers, and improvement opportunities.
6. Support orientation, transition, reentry, mentoring, leadership, recognition, and student-engagement programs.

Student Behavior, Discipline, and Restorative Response

1. Investigate student conduct referrals; interview involved individuals; review information; document findings; and determine or recommend responsive action consistent with the Student Code of Conduct, Board policy, due process, and law.
2. Use developmentally appropriate, equitable, restorative, and educational responses that promote accountability, repair harm, and reduce recurrence.
3. Communicate with students, families, and staff regarding incidents, outcomes, expectations, supports, and reentry plans while maintaining confidentiality.
4. Monitor behavioral suspensions and exclusions, coordinate continuity of learning and reentry supports, and track required documentation and timelines.
5. Facilitate conflict resolution, restorative conferences or circles, mediation, reflection, and problem solving when appropriate.
6. Develop and monitor student behavior-support, safety, attendance, or reengagement plans with the appropriate team.
7. Review discipline data for patterns or barriers and recommend improvements in fairness, consistency, and outcomes.

Attendance, Engagement, and Student Support

1. Monitor attendance, chronic absenteeism, tardiness, school avoidance, and engagement data and coordinate tiered prevention and intervention.
2. Partner with students, families, staff, and community resources to address academic, behavioral, social-emotional, health, transportation, housing, and other barriers.
3. Coordinate check-in/check-out, mentoring, incentives, goal setting, progress monitoring, and targeted supports.
4. Connect students and families with counseling, mental health, basic-needs, and community supports through appropriate referral procedures.
5. Collaborate with instructional staff and student-support teams to reinforce academic progress and effective learning habits.

Team Collaboration and Staff Support

1. Participate in MTSS, child study, IEP, Section 504, behavior support, attendance, crisis response, threat assessment, and other multidisciplinary teams.
2. Consult with staff regarding classroom management, de-escalation, relationship-based practices, student-specific supports, and consistent expectations.
3. Provide or coordinate staff learning, resources, modeling, and feedback related to student behavior, attendance, supervision, and school climate.
4. Collaborate with special education and Section 504 teams so disciplinary and intervention decisions are consistent with student plans and procedural safeguards.
5. Assist with recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, supervision, and support of assigned staff as requested.

Safety, Crisis Response, and Operations

1. Assist with building safety, emergency response, crisis communication, visitor management, supervision, and reunification procedures.
2. Respond to critical incidents, secure immediate assistance, contact appropriate personnel or emergency services, and complete follow-up documentation.
3. Support drills, safety training, first aid/CPR readiness, and review of supervision plans and high-traffic routines.
4. Assist with school events, activities, assemblies, arrival, dismissal, transportation areas, and assignments outside the regular school day.
5. Act as administrative designee when assigned, within the position's scope and applicable credential requirements.

Data, Records, Communication, and Compliance

1. Maintain accurate, timely, confidential records for behavior, discipline, attendance, interventions, family communication, safety, and student support.
2. Analyze disaggregated attendance, behavior, academic, climate, and intervention data; prepare reports; and recommend action.
3. Communicate expectations, procedures, resources, trends, and celebrations through accessible District-approved channels.
4. Maintain current knowledge of Board policy, the Student Code of Conduct, student records, disability protections, civil rights, attendance obligations, and relevant law.
5. Build productive relationships with students, families, staff, service providers, emergency responders, and community partners while following District protocols.
6. Participate in administrative meetings, professional learning, and relevant training.

Employment Conditions:

• Employees shall remain free of any alcohol or non-prescribed controlled substance abuse in the workplace throughout their employment with the District.
• Employees shall comply with all Board policies and applicable federal and state laws and regulations, including but not limited to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), applicable non-discrimination requirements, and related educational regulations.
• Perform other responsibilities and duties as assigned by the Principal, Superintendent, or designee.

Terms of Employment: 202 days

Base Salary Range: $79,613 - $85,734

ADA Requirements:

The following are representative of the demands and conditions necessary to perform essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.

• Communicate effectively in person, in writing, and electronically.
• Read, analyze, interpret, and maintain student records, reports, policies, and plans.
• Use office equipment, computers, student information systems, and job-related technology.
• Move throughout classrooms, offices, hallways, common areas, outdoor areas, and transportation zones for supervision and incident response.
• Remain seated, standing, or walking for extended periods and stoop, bend, or kneel as needed.
• Monitor active, noisy, crowded, and changing environments and respond promptly to emergencies or escalated behavior.
• Work a flexible schedule for assigned meetings, events, supervision, and emergencies.
• Maintain first aid and CPR certification if required by the District.

Work Environment

Work is performed in offices, classrooms, hallways, common areas, athletic spaces, outdoor areas, transportation zones, and school events. The position involves frequent interruptions, competing priorities, varied noise and activity levels, and urgent student, safety, or operational concerns.

All candidates must complete an online application and submit the following documentation through the South Lake Schools application system no later than 4:00 PM on Friday, September 11, 2026:

• Letter of interest indicating suitability for the position
• Current resume
• Academic transcripts indicating degrees AND copies of certification(s)
• Minimum of three (3) professional references including mobile and office telephone numbers

If you have questions, please visit the South Lake Schools website or contact the Human Resources Office at 586-435-1602 or via email at [email protected].