GIRESD School District, division of Special Services

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position Title: MOCI - Special Education Teacher

Location: Carrie Knause, St. Louis Michigan

Full-time: 186 day contract

Start date: 26/27 SY

Reports to: Supervisor, Special services

Special Education teachers work under the overall supervision of their program supervisor. Special Education Teachers are employed to implement special education and related services for students with special needs. Teacher duties will vary depending upon the age of students served as well as the nature and severity of the student’s disabilities.

Our student population consists of children and adult students with cognitive, physical, emotional, communication, health impaired and adaptive disabilities that range from mild to severe.

The special education teacher is responsible for planning and implementing Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals as well as supervision and guidance of paraprofessional staff in the implementation and support of the IEP goals. This requires both planning instruction as well as adapting general education programming and curriculum to be accessible to the student per his or her IEP.

This instruction may take place in the classroom setting or within a students’ home depending on the assigned position and duties. This job description outlined below describes in general terms the normal duties that the teacher will be expected to undertake in daily activities/routine. However, the job or duties described may vary or be amended from time to time without changing the level of responsibility associated with the job.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

An individual who holds this position is required to perform all the following:

Plan and implement instruction for students with disabilities according to their individualized needs, including (but not limited to); Assessment, Data Collection, Individualized Education Plans;

• Assess students current level of performance using both formal and informal assessments and be able to explain those results to the IEP team
• Collect regular data on student IEP goals and behavioral performances to be used to create behavior and educational plans for students
• Evaluate student progress and make changes to student’s educational plans to continue to help students succeed.
• Write academic, behavioral, and daily living goals for the students’ IEP and work with the IEP team to create an educational and behavioral plan for the student based on his/her IEP goals
• Complete progress reports throughout the school year to report on student performance
• Assist in developing personal care plans for students to ensure that personal needs are being met at school
• Collect non-educational data for students (medical changes, behavioral changes, nutritional concerns, etc)

Managing the Classroom/Educational Environment;

• Maintain an appropriate classroom environment suitable for learning and to meet student needs (organized, accessibility of materials, appropriate visuals, etc.) and comply with state and federal requirements
• Coordinate and supervise occupational and community experiences, as appropriate
• Create a developmentally appropriate schedule for students

Collaboration and Communication;

• Regularly communicate with ancillary staff (OT, PT, SLP, SSW, and other necessary services) to ensure that students on caseload are receiving appropriate services per their IEP requirements
• Effectively and regularly communicate with parents of students in the program
• Effectively and regularly communicate with paraprofessional staff within the classroom regarding the schedule, job expectations, addressing concerns, and other necessary information
• Participate and/or facilitate multi-disciplinary meetings as needed, as well as IEP meetings
• Effectively communicate with administrators about issues and ideas for the classroom
• Effectively communicate medical concerns with the school nurse

Transferring; (including but not limited to)

• To and from wheelchairs, shower chairs, hygiene stations, floor time on mat and wedges, mat tables, assistive devices such as walkers, Rifton chairs, tricycle & getting into and out of a pool.
• This may include, depending on the size and ability of the student, a one-person lift transfer, 2- person lift, use of mechanical lift, use of lift vest and/or a gait belt.

Assist with physical/personal care including; (but not limited to)

• Feedings such as administering or assisting with oral feeding with students who have motor or swallow disabilities and/or administering tube feedings with a pump or by use of bolus method.
• Bathroom needs such as diapering both male and female students, use of MOVE training toileting strategies, toilet training, and use of hygiene station.
• Personal care needs such as undressing, dressing, showering, tooth brushing, grooming and hand hygiene. Staff will provide supervision, verbal prompts and/or hands on assistance in providing and/or teaching all personal hygiene skills.
• Administration of oral medication or via tube, depending on the need of the student, as prescribed by a physician and delegated by the school nurse. Documentation and accountability of medications per school protocols.
• Administration of emergency medications as prescribed by a physician and delegated by the school nurse such as Epi-pen, Diastat, Inhalers, and Nebulizers.
• Perform as needed First Aid and CPR. (District provides training)
• Observes Universal precautions. Uses appropriate PPE provided by the district. Ability to handle bodily secretions (which may be infectious) in the appropriate manner.
• Assist support staff in the supervision of and physical assistance of students while they are loading and unloading buses, job sites, in gym, in pool and on field trips.
• Assist in Physical therapy, Occupational therapy, and Speech and Language functions as outlined by these professionals using techniques, visuals, or equipment as trained.
• Participates in physical activities, which are part of the student’s basic program, and helps them reach goals related to adaptive development. These activities include walking, swimming, going up and down stairs, getting on and off the floor independently or with assist, assisting students during ride bikes.
• Regularly be able to physically support students with varying core strength and/or gait stability during transfers between equal and unequal surfaces such as chair to floor, floor to walker, lift to equipment such as bench or stander, chair to chair.
• Participate with the “MOVE” training program of assisting students with physical impairments to increase their ability to sit, stand, walk, transition as it applies to each students needs as assessed by the physical therapist.
• Ability to assist with specific medical care for students and their individual needs: tube feedings, administering medications, clean intermittent catheterization, monitoring & safely manage seizures, trach care,etc. (Training and delegation is provided by school nurses)
• Strategize and make plan to address disruptive behaviors and communicate plan and individual roles to support staff when necessary for specific students.
• Follow through with prescribed physical management programs. Participate and pass the training offered by the GIRESD in Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI). Safely implement CPI interventions restraints correctly and consistently to keep students safe.
• Clean, sanitize classroom and equipment using approved materials.

Physical Demands: (clarification as related to above duties)

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential function of this job to ensure that students remain safe and can access their educational programs. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Lift/carry 50lbs individually and push/ pull up to 200lbs with support of wheeled devices such as a wheelchair, shower chair, tricycle, and walker.
• Stand, twist, bend, stoop, kneel, crawl, sit, climb, balance, and crouch daily, and often, multiple times a day.
• Ability to quickly and effectively protect self and others during moments of aggression by students using approved CPI techniques
• Reach with hands and arms overhead
• Gross grasping.
• Fine motor manipulations (to include medications, educational and medical equipment).
• Vision requirements include close vision, and peripheral vision.
• Hearing and being able to determine where a sound is coming from. Being able to process training information and apply it to assigned task and delegation of skilled activities.
• Work in temperature extremes both indoors and outdoors to support students in transitions, job sites, school and classroom activities.
• This position has exposure to infection and injury at a greater risk than the general population in the school setting.
• Has the ability to sit on the floor for long periods of time, sit in short child sized chairs, and get on and off the floor independently

Skills and Abilities; (supervisory, language, reasoning, technology)

• Accept direction, supervision and constructive criticism
• Demonstrate versatility by adjusting to changes
• Exhibit cooperativeness, patience, flexibility and enthusiasm in working with staff and students.
• Plan and implement student’s education plan (academic, daily living, transition, and job skills) and communicate plan to support staff.
• Manages and instructs small groups of students in the classroom or the community
• Collaborate with community organizations to implement programs for students
• Follows educational and health care procedures and accurately complete forms and charting as assigned to documents, student progress, or student goals
• Demonstrates the ability to supplement aspects of the students life which would typically be considered “family care” (i.e., cleanliness, social skills, building student self-esteem)
• Reads and comprehends written and oral instruction, correspondence and memos.
• Occasionally solve problems involving concrete variables within standardized situations.
• Demonstrate knowledge of basic computer skills including word processing, data entry, email communication, Easy IEP, medicaid.

Condition and Environment:

The work conditions and environment described here are representative of those that an individual will encounter while performing the essential function of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individual with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• The individual who holds this position will regularly work in a school environment that is noisy and active.
• The individual will be required to work outdoors to perform such tasks as loading and unloading students from district transportation, supervising recess and job sites.
• May be required to work with power tools, work with medical devices, participate in hot humid conditions during certain job sites, showers and participate in pool activities.
• Special education programs vary according to the needs of the students and the related communications, physical, cognitive, emotional, and educational supports needed by the students to learn and access their educational environment
• Student behaviors included in these environments include, but are not limited to; aggression, defiance, repetitive verbal and physical responses, and frustration.
• Participation of development training programs and classroom faculty meetings as required or requested by administration.

Qualifications:

Education:

• An individual who holds this position must have a Bachelor’s degree in education with an endorsement in Cognitive Impairments.
• Experience with special education, mild to severely physically handicapped, helpful but not required.

The information contained in the job description is for compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (A.D.A) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned. (August 2018)