ED PARA,INTENSIVE DISAB,CTR SITES,C(ESE)

Orange County Public Schools•Pine Hills, FL

About The Position

Under direct supervision, this position provides assistance in the education, care, and development of students with severe disabilities. Employees perform 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, and social-emotional needs throughout the school day. It may involve assisting with personal care, mobility, classroom activities, behavior interventions, progress monitoring, and student supervision. All new hires must successfully complete ESE Training within 45 days of hire.

Requirements

Associate’s degree or higher, or at least 60 semester hours from an accredited institution; an official transcript is required to validate education.
Passing the paraprofessional certification exam may substitute for the educational requirement for highly qualified status.
Applicants 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 12) in an educational environment that provides broad familiarity with the physical and emotional behaviors and challenges of children with severe disabilities; additional education may substitute for experience year for year.
Ability to fulfill the dexterity and physical requirements of the work and effectively attend to the needs of school-age children with special needs.
Strong stress-management skills.
Ability to successfully complete ESE Training within 45 days of hire.

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 in learning problem-solving skills.
Assist with behavior interventions, including monitoring and charting behaviors specific to students with severe disabilities.
Apply crisis-intervention principles when students display aggressive behavior and may require physical restraint.
Assist students arriving by bus, accompany them to and from learning areas, help transfer students from wheelchairs, and monitor their medical and social-emotional needs.
Provide support and follow-up for students with severe disabilities assigned to in-school suspension.
Reinforce school and learning-environment rules, encourage appropriate behavior, and identify inappropriate behavior using a positive behavioral-support approach.
Escort and provide one-on-one assistance during meals, restroom visits, and other activities throughout the school day.
Assist students with gross motor activities, including grasping, holding objects, posture, crawling, walking, and running, as appropriate to their development.
Assist students with fine motor activities, including use of assistive devices, job skills, and leisure skills, as appropriate to their development.
Assist students with daily living skills, including dressing, eating, toileting and diapering, grooming, and personal hygiene.
Assist the teacher with lesson plans, behavior intervention plans, accommodations, learning activities, and preparation of instructional materials.
Assist 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; support appropriate conduct and escort students to designated activities.
When assigned to labs, assist teachers and provide instruction or information to students; translate lesson plans or other information when needed to support student understanding.
Keep current with job-related technology and attend district-supported training as needed to maintain required technology skills.
Maintain timely and accurate information as part of job responsibilities.
Perform related duties as directed.