SpEd Paraprofessional - Significant Support Needs (SSN)

Academy School District 20•Colorado Springs, CO

1d•$21 - $22•Onsite

About The Position

The SpEd Paraprofessional - Significant Support Needs (SSN) supports the day-to-day education of special education students under the supervision of a teacher. The paraprofessional does not make diagnostic or long-term educational decisions. The role supports the principal and classroom teachers in implementing SSN programs and fostering a positive, safe learning environment. It assists licensed special education teachers, occupational and physical therapists, nurses, and other evaluative staff in implementing goals for students with severe or profound disabilities. Assignments may take place in non-traditional learning environments, including off-campus work sites. The employee may be reassigned to another school if student needs change. The position involves instructional, personal-care, health-related, behavioral, clerical, and organizational support. Duties may include implementing lesson plans and IEP goals; supporting students individually and in groups; assisting with feeding, toileting, mobility, medical tasks, and delegated nursing practices; using therapy and assistive technology equipment; monitoring behavior and student safety; collecting data and maintaining records; and communicating and coordinating with teachers, employers, families, and other staff. Required certifications and training must be obtained and maintained. The role requires ongoing professional learning and training related to student needs. Work is generally performed in a classroom and may include visits to homes, schools, offices, job sites, and community settings. The employee works scheduled school/work hours and may be directed to work extended hours or days. The environment may include varying noise levels, exposure to fumes, conflict situations, and potential student medical emergencies. Physical demands include mobility and personal-care assistance, lifting and transferring students, and physical restraint when necessary under applicable training guidelines.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Ability to adapt to changing technologies and learn new equipment and systems.
Effective verbal and written communication skills, including communication with students and adults in a range of settings.
Computer proficiency, including office productivity applications and the ability to create, access, enter, retrieve, and manipulate information in software systems.
Ability to maintain accurate records, document management, and filing systems.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and understand data privacy laws and their implications for the educational community.
Ability to follow oral and written instructions, work independently, prioritize simultaneous demands, and work days, hours, locations, and assignments as directed.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with supervisors, administrators, coworkers, students, families, staff, and the public.
Teamwork, cooperation, collaboration, problem-solving, organizational, interpersonal, listening, and time-management skills; attention to detail.
Knowledge of office methods and procedures, district policies and functions, and special education programming and legal requirements relevant to assigned students.
Commitment to students' education and a student-centered, relationship-focused approach.
Ability to meet students' physical and self-help needs, including toileting, feeding, dressing, and transfers; physically escort or restrain students when necessary and trained.
Ability to lift, push, pull, or carry up to 50 pounds; student lifting may require a two-person lift or greater capacity depending on assignment and student need.
Ability to sit, stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch or squat, climb stairs/ladders/stools, reach, grasp, and operate equipment and keyboards.
Oral, auditory, visual, and manual capacity sufficient for communication, monitoring, and use of equipment.
Willingness to attend CO-TOP opportunities and other professional learning, OT-PT training, ongoing training, and on-the-job training specific to student needs, including vision, hearing, motor, or Braille needs.
Willingness to be trained to carry out delegated nursing practices.

Responsibilities

Report consistently for work as scheduled and perform other duties as assigned.
Meet established performance standards and obtain and maintain certifications needed to support students with special needs.
Implement student communication, oral-motor, sensory-integration, physical, and other IEP goals during meals and daily activities.
Carry out instructional programs and lessons in designated learning environments and reinforce teacher-presented material with small groups or individual students.
Assist students with medical and personal-care tasks, including medication, tube feeding, catheterization, toileting, diapering, suctioning, and infection-control procedures, as assigned.
Clean and disinfect bodily fluids and sanitize equipment and materials.
Maneuver and secure wheelchairs; assist students with dressing, movement between rooms, lavatory use, transfers, and other physical tasks.
Provide initial first aid and emergency care, and monitor students for safety and behavior.
Use physical therapy support equipment and monitor behavior contracts and reward systems; apply Nonviolent Crisis Intervention techniques when appropriate.
Assist with non-standardized testing, tutoring, recitation, reading, curriculum tasks, story time, library activities, and development of games and teaching aids.
Assist students with preparing and maintaining materials and equipment, completing assignments or job tasks, and participating in community-based settings.
Coordinate assignments and tasks with classroom teachers and/or employers and serve as a resource to the student personnel evaluation team as needed.
Integrate assistive technology into classrooms with teachers and supervise students using computer programs and facilities such as swimming pools, weight rooms, or therapy pools.
Monitor students during recess, hall duty, passing periods, and bus loading, and accompany students in classroom and other settings.
Attend required pre-job and ongoing training and meetings, including training related to occupational and physical therapy, student-specific needs, and delegated nursing practices.
Maintain student files, collect assessment and monitoring data, complete daily paperwork, and perform clerical duties.
Maintain, order, and organize program materials and equipment; laminate materials and prepare bulletin boards as needed.