Special Education Assistant II - Burley Middle School - 2026-27 School Year

Are you looking to work in a school division where students are engaged in authentic, challenging, and relevant learning experiences, becoming lifelong contributors and leaders in our dynamic and diverse society? In Albemarle County Public Schools, we work together as a team to end the predictive value of race, class, gender, and special capacities for our children’s success through high-quality teaching and learning for all. We seek to build relationships with families and communities to ensure that every student succeeds. We will know every student!

About the Role

The Special Education Assistant II provides support to the instructional program with specific responsibility for assisting in the supervision, care, and instruction of students with special needs; assisting in implementing plans for instruction; monitoring student behavior; documenting activities and progress; and supporting students’ IEP goals. This role will provide extended classroom support and follow-up for students who receive special services, including monitoring and modeling evidence/research-based behavior intervention strategies, helping with data collection and analysis, and ensuring behavior interventions are practiced with fidelity. The position serves as a resource for equitable opportunities for students with challenging behaviors and maintains interventions with existing school supports.

Responsibilities

• Develops and maintains a pleasant and orderly classroom environment (e.g., maintaining instructional materials, designing bulletin boards, assisting in clean-up activities).
• Assists students in completing learning tasks assigned by classroom teachers.
• Leads and/or facilitates teaching in 1:1, small group, or whole class instruction.
• Carries out instructional plans as designated by the classroom teacher and, if appropriate, the student's Individual Educational Plan (IEP).
• Maintains student training data according to prescribed procedures.
• Assists individual students in following routines, directions, schedules, and tasks, adhering strictly to daily schedules as required by the IEP.
• Procures, sets up, and operates audio-visual equipment.
• Assists in developing and implementing individual student schedules, sensory programs, motor group activities, discrete trial drills, and/or student behavior management plans.
• Creates alternative activities for independent work based on teacher-directed activities.
• Assists in coordinating school and home supports and work tasks.
• Assists with data collection and facilitating accommodations as required by the classroom teacher or supervisor.
• Communicates effectively with the special education teacher to help facilitate the IEP goals of students.
• Demonstrates cooperation, openness for growth, and willingness to contribute to a team approach to the educational program.
• Assists in maintaining students' records, collecting lunch monies, and related instructional activities (e.g., field trips, library, assembly) under the supervision of the classroom teacher and/or building principal.
• Monitors student attendance, behavior, and suspension data.
• Performs clerical duties such as typing, filing, and duplicating at the direction of the classroom teacher.
• Provides direct support to staff by introducing and modeling research/evidence-based interventions.
• Provides direct support to students by teaching and modeling research/evidence-based interventions and curriculum.
• Coordinates with specialists and school staff to implement behavior curriculum, develop effective intervention plans, and create crisis/safety plans.
• Provides transition plans and support for students moving between educational settings.
• Provides interventions to enable students to remain in school and/or help stabilize them.
• Supervises and trains students during lunch, free time, and other non-instructional periods as directed by the classroom teacher.
• Maintains a notebook monitored by the special education teacher and specialists, containing:
  • Weekly behavior logs with observations and collected data.
  • Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP) with progress notes.
  • Social Skills lesson plans, including social stories.
  • Incident reports and office referrals.
  • Log of communication with school staff, family, and outside agencies.
• Assists students with daily living skills (e.g., toileting, feeding, diaper changes, positioning).
• Assists with deregulated students.
• Participates in team meetings.
• Assists with medical-related duties (e.g., catheterization, gastrointestinal feedings, assistive breathing devices, colostomy, and ileostomy needs).
• Assists with carry-over of related services (e.g., Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech, Adapted Physical Education, and Vision).
• Performs other duties as assigned by the classroom teacher or principal.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Basic keyboard and filing training.
• Willingness to seek and maintain CPR certification.
• Ability to develop and maintain an empathetic attitude toward students with disabilities.
• Willingness to learn specialized instructional and management techniques for students with disabilities.
• Ability to communicate and develop effective working relationships with students, parents, and staff.

Skills

• Ability to work under the direction and supervision of a classroom teacher while independently carrying out aspects of the instructional program.
• Flexibility, patience, and self-motivation to complete job assignments.
• Ability to work within various degrees of noise, temperature, and air quality.
• Dexterity to assist or restrain students and operate specialized or office equipment.
• Physical ability to:
  • Sit or stand for extended periods.
  • Bend at the waist, kneel, or crouch to assist students.
  • Lift or move children from wheelchairs to tables or desks (up to 80 pounds).
  • Lift equipment such as audio-visuals (up to 50 pounds).
  • Perform personal hygiene tasks for students (e.g., changing catheters, diapers, clothing).
• Ability to see to read materials and monitor student activities, and to hear and speak to exchange information.
• Knowledge of universal hygiene precautions.
• Ability to handle physical and emotional outbursts by students, including hitting, kicking, spitting, scratching, and biting.

Benefits

• Competitive pay and benefits.
• Health and dental coverage.
• Retirement plan.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Paid time off.
• Wellness program.
• Discounts on gym memberships.

Work Environment

Duties are performed typically in school settings, including classrooms, gyms, cafeterias, auditoriums, and recreational areas. Frequent walking, standing, and light lifting are required. Occasional travel with students on field trips may be necessary. Regular movement of students using wheelchairs and other mechanical devices is required. The role may involve exposure to blood-borne pathogens, requiring training and immunization. Occasional attendance at meetings, parent conferences, and training activities beyond normal hours is necessary. The work environment includes varying degrees of noise, temperature, and air quality, with routine interruptions. Flexibility and patience are essential, as is the ability to work under stressful conditions.