Behavior Specialist Student Services and Special Education (Grant Funded)

Release Date: August 18, 2026 • Application Deadline: September 1, 2026

About the Role

This is a professional, ten-month position focused on meeting the individual needs of students through direct service and consultative support to staff and families to enhance academic and social/emotional outcomes. The Behavior Specialist assists school staff in developing and implementing individual behavior programs for students, with or without disabilities, who present a variety of behavioral challenges. The goal is to support at-risk students in developing appropriate social skills and classroom behavior, increasing their opportunity for academic success, and decreasing the number of students requiring more restrictive services.

Responsibilities

• Assists school staff in developing, implementing, and monitoring student behavior plans.
• Provides system-wide staff development on behavior strategies and intervention plans.
• Collaborates with a wide range of staff to attain positive outcomes for behaviorally challenged students and their families.
• Analyzes student behavior and identifies appropriate strategies to increase academic success.
• Participates as a member of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams to assist in planning interventions for students with challenging behaviors.
• Addresses issues related to disproportionality across the continuum of services, emphasizing preventative services prior to referral to Special Education.
• Models implementation of behavior strategies in classroom settings.
• Monitors the implementation of behavior plans and student progress.
• Provides behavioral coaching for individual students throughout the intervention phase.
• Facilitates family inclusion in the development and implementation of behavior plans, emphasizing family system issues.
• Assists teachers, PST, and IEP teams in developing, monitoring, and revising Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP), and IEPs.
• Assists teachers in implementing effective classroom management systems.
• Monitors student progress and assists teachers in maintaining and evaluating data collection systems.
• Collaborates with general and special education teachers and administrative staff to provide proactive and preventative interventions for students with behavioral challenges.
• Participates as a member of the S.E.C.R. team to assess the needs of behaviorally challenged students countywide.
• Collaborates with community agency staff to develop a comprehensive approach to behavioral challenges for students in general and Special Education.
• Assists students, families, and staff with transition needs for students with behavioral challenges within general education and more restrictive Special Education settings.
• Performs other related and non-related job duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in special education, Counseling, Social Work, or a related field.
• Three (3) years of experience in developing and/or implementing behavior intervention and support for children and adolescents in a school environment.
• Valid driver’s license with the ability to travel independently between school sites.
• Ability to professionally relate to and collaborate with co-workers, students, and community members.
• Ability to understand and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to use technology effectively to complete tasks.
• Ability to report to work daily and on time.
• Ability to organize, supervise, coordinate, and establish priorities of tasks.
• Ability to work independently and follow complex oral and/or written instructions.
• Excellent time management skills and the ability to take initiative and make decisions within assigned responsibility.
• Flexibility in work responsibilities and hours in a challenging, fast-paced professional environment.
• Knowledge of the programs, policies, and procedures of St. Mary’s County Public Schools.

Qualifications

Preferred: The applicant should have at least one of the following licenses through the Maryland Department of Health: BCBA, BCaBA, LMSW, LCSW-C, or LCPC, or hold MSDE School Social Worker Licensure.

Pay

The salary for this exempt, ten-month position ranges from $67,106 to $117,670, based on the EASMC Non-Teaching Specialist career ladder.

Schedule

Full-time, ten-month position (September through June).