Special Education Assistant

Location: Baxter Elementary
Hours: 7.5 hours per day
Duty Days: 173 duty days per school year

About the Role

The Special Education Paraprofessional will assist and carry out the goals, objectives, and adaptations in the individual education plan of special needs students in various settings: classrooms, physical education, lunchroom, bus loading area, cafeteria, and common spaces.

Responsibilities

• Carry out the duties and responsibilities outlined in a student's Individual Education Plan (IEP).
• Assist student(s) in individual and group settings, whether in the resource room or inclusive educational setting, including community or volunteer settings.
• Provide specialized instruction, interventions, and accommodations as outlined in the IEP.
• Team with the classroom teacher and/or special education teacher to deliver classroom instruction.
• Demonstrate and model appropriate developmental and behavioral skills through play or interaction with the child.
• Assist the individual student in self-help and independent living skills, including:
  • Dressing and undressing.
  • Toileting, which may include changing diapers, training pants, cleaning the child, and implementing toilet training techniques.
  • Supervising and assisting with eating skills, including adapted feeding utensils or feeding tubes.
  • Supervising and assisting the child with an assistive device, such as prosthetic devices, braces, wheelchairs, communicative, or assistive technology devices.
  • Supporting students in Developmentally Adaptive Physical Education (Phy Ed) activities and Special Olympics events.
• Supervise student(s) during lunch, time-out situations, recess, field trips, and emergency situations, or in the temporary absence of the teacher.
• Monitor classroom instruction to ensure student progress and a safe learning environment.
• Perform bus duty, which may involve riding the bus, following prescribed bus programs, meeting the bus, and reporting student bus behavior/needs to the case manager.
• Participate physically with students in activities being taught.
• Collaborate with Special Education Teachers, Classroom teachers, and related service providers to ensure student safety and success.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Develop effective working relationships with students.
• Support building and classroom discipline policies.
• Maintain good communication skills and a cooperative working environment with other school staff.
• Participate in assigned professional development.
• Maintain knowledge of the building procedures manual and school district policies.
• Work cooperatively with the building administrator, accepting constructive feedback and direction.
• Address disagreements with fellow employees constructively and respectfully.
• Monitor student progress on assigned tasks.
• Follow school district policy in reporting suspected abuse/neglect.
• Perform all other duties as identified by the team in the IEP process for individual situations.
• Perform other special education-related duties as assigned by the proper administrative authority.

Requirements

• Meet highly-qualified requirements for paraprofessional (two-year associate degree, 60 college credits, para-pro or para e-link certification).
• Experience working with students with physical, cognitive, and/or mild behavioral needs.
• Handle with Care Training – certification required within three months of being hired and maintained during employment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work as a team member.
• Flexibility based on program and student needs.
• Ability to assist students in individual or group settings, whether in the resource room, inclusive education setting, or community as a job coach.
• Ability to implement and follow through on specific therapies and programs for an individual as prescribed by the IEP, which may involve lifting, transferring, positioning, assisting with daily living activities such as toileting, feeding, and restrictive procedures when necessary.
• Ability to collect data on student progress as defined in the IEP.
• Ability to remain calm and patient in volatile situations and react and respond quickly in a variety of situations.
• Ability to work under the supervision of a site principal and/or special education teacher.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks at once while dealing with constant interruptions.
• Ability to work with students, families, professionals, and staff of various cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
• Ability to interact with and maintain cooperative relationships with all levels of staff and the public.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism.

Pay

Compensation is based on education and experience; wages are outlined in the Education Assistant contract located on the district website. Salary range: $16.50-$17.15 per hour.