ED PARA,INTENSIVE DISAB,C (ESE)

Orange County Public Schools • Apopka, FL

7d

About The Position

Under direct supervision, this position provides assistance in the education, care, and development of students with severe disabilities. The employee performs instructional, clerical, and behavioral-management duties under the direction of a certified teacher, guidance counselor, or administrator. Duties are carried out according to the exceptional needs of assigned students, and related work may be assigned as directed.

The role supports students’ instructional, behavioral, developmental, medical, social, emotional, and daily living needs. It includes assisting with positive behavioral supports and crisis intervention, including physical restraint when required; helping students move between buses, learning areas, and activities; and supporting gross motor, fine motor, and daily living skills. The employee also assists teachers with lesson and behavior intervention plans, learning activities, instructional materials, data collection, progress monitoring, and IEP development and review.

Employees must be highly qualified before beginning employment. New hires must successfully complete ESE Training within 45 days of hire. The work requires the ability to meet significant physical demands, including lifting and carrying heavy objects, and may involve exposure to violence when working with severely disabled or emotionally disturbed children. The district will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

Requirements

• Associate’s degree or higher, or at least 60 semester hours from an accredited institution of higher education; an official transcript is required to validate education.
• Passing the paraprofessional certification exam may substitute for the educational requirement for highly qualified status.
• Must be highly qualified before starting employment with Orange County Public Schools.
• At least two years of experience working with exceptional-needs school-age children (Pre-K through grade 12) in an educational environment; additional education may substitute for experience year for year.
• Strong stress-management skills.
• Ability to fulfill the dexterity and physical requirements of the work and effectively attend to the needs of school-age children with special needs.
• Ability to operate, maneuver, or control special-needs equipment and devices.
• New hires must successfully complete ESE Training within 45 days of hire.
• Depending on classroom assignment, ability to perform relevant arithmetic, including decimals, percentages, and fractions, and interpret graphs may be required.
• Ability to assist people in carrying out specialized therapeutic or physical care plans and procedures.

Nice To Haves

• Previous vocational training or work experience in a licensed child care environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Respond to internal and external customers in a timely, accurate, courteous, and empathetic manner, representing OCPS positively.
• Provide instructional, behavioral, and developmental assistance to students with severe disabilities as directed by a supervising teacher or other certified professional.
• Apply basic positive behavioral support practices and assist students with problem-solving skills.
• Assist with behavior interventions, including monitoring and charting student behaviors.
• Apply crisis intervention principles for students displaying aggressive behavior, including physical restraint when necessary.
• Assist students arriving on buses, escort them to and from learning areas, help transfer them from wheelchairs, and monitor their medical and social-emotional needs.
• Provide support and follow-up for students assigned to in-school suspension.
• Reinforce school and learning-environment rules, encourage appropriate behavior, and identify inappropriate behavior using positive behavioral supports.
• Escort and provide one-on-one assistance to students during meals, restroom visits, and other school-day activities.
• Assist students with gross motor activities, including grasping, holding objects, posture, crawling, walking, and running, as appropriate to individual development.
• Assist students with fine motor activities, including using assistive devices and participating in job and leisure skill activities.
• Assist students with daily living skills, including dressing, eating, toileting and diapering, grooming, and personal hygiene.
• Assist teachers with lesson plans, behavior intervention plans, accommodations, learning activities, and instructional materials.
• Assist teachers with collecting and reporting data for progress monitoring, progress reports, and IEP development and review.
• Perform assigned monitoring duties in areas such as hallways, lunchrooms, restrooms, and buses; maintain appropriate student conduct and escort students to designated activities.
• Provide assistance in assigned labs and, when applicable, translate lesson plans and other information for students.
• Keep current with job-appropriate technology used by OCPS and attend district-supported training as needed.
• Maintain timely and accurate information as part of job responsibilities.
• Perform related duties as directed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree