ED PARA,EX ED,NC,NON-TITLE I

Orange County Public Schools•Winter Garden, FL

3h•Onsite

About The Position

Under direct supervision, provides staff support in an educational or child care environment by assisting teachers and students. Works with certified teachers, occupational therapists, and other certified specialists in supporting the education, care, and development of students with mental, physical, emotional, and other special needs. Provides instructional, vocational, and developmental assistance to trainable and educable exceptional students under the direction of a certified teacher or other school official. Duties are performed according to the exceptional needs of assigned students; related work may be assigned as directed. The role may involve assisting with student transportation within the school, mobility and motor activities, daily living and personal hygiene, behavior monitoring and crisis intervention, classroom learning activities, instructional materials, and student records. The position may also include monitoring students in hallways, lunchrooms, restrooms, and on buses, escorting them to activities, and assisting in labs. Employees are responsible for keeping current with job-related technology and maintaining timely and accurate information.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
At least two years of experience working with school-age children in an educational environment providing broad familiarity with the physical and emotional behaviors and challenges of exceptional-needs children, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Demonstrated stress-management skills.
Ability to meet the dexterity and physical requirements of the work and effectively attend to special needs.
Ability to operate, maneuver, or control special-needs equipment and devices and standard office equipment.
Ability to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions and perform routine work according to prescribed standard practices.
Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity when evaluating information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria.
Ability to exert very heavy physical effort, including climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling heavy objects and materials up to 100 pounds and occasionally heavier items.
All new hires must successfully complete ESE Training within 45 days of hire.
Depending on classroom assignment, ability to perform basic arithmetic, calculate decimals and percentages, use fractions, or interpret graphs may be required.
Most tasks require visual perception and discrimination; some require oral communication and the ability to perceive and discriminate sounds.
Tasks are regularly performed with exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as violence when working with developmentally disabled or emotionally disturbed children.

Nice To Haves

Additional HRS training preferred.
Candidates who have passed the Para Assessment or have an associate degree or 60 completed semester credits may be eligible for a higher hourly rate in a certified position; evidence must be provided.

Responsibilities

Provide instructional, vocational, and developmental assistance to students with special needs as prescribed by the supervising teacher.
Assist students arriving by bus and escort them to and from learning areas, including transferring students from wheelchairs to desks or floor mats.
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 playing with toys, cutting materials, and coloring, as appropriate to individual development.
Assist students with daily living skills, including dressing, eating, lavatory needs, grooming, and personal hygiene.
Monitor, observe, and chart student behavior, documenting behavioral changes, outbursts, and other student-specific actions.
Apply crisis-intervention principles and procedures for students with aggressive behavior or other social difficulties, including physical restraint when necessary in violent circumstances.
Reinforce school and learning-environment rules, encourage appropriate behavior, and help students understand inappropriate behavior.
Assist with lesson plans, behavior-modification plans, teacher planning sessions, learning activities, and preparation of instructional and vocational materials.
Maintain student activity and behavior records; enter information and data using a computer terminal as needed; complete applicable forms, schedules, and instructional reports as directed.
Assist teachers in supervising learning activities and provide classroom learning support to students.
Perform assigned monitoring duties in areas such as hallways, lunchrooms, restrooms, and buses, and escort students to designated activity areas.
Provide assistance to teachers and instruction or information to students in assigned labs; translate lesson plans and other information when assigned to support student understanding.
Keep up to date on job-appropriate technology and attend district-supported training to maintain required technology skills.
Maintain timely and accurate information as part of job responsibilities.
Perform related duties as directed.