REPORTS TO: Asst. Superintendent for Student Services            

CLASSIFICATION: Act 93 - 12 Month Position

STATUS: Non-Exempt

JOB SUMMARY:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Assist the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services in developing, maintaining, coordinating, and supervising the special educational programs offered by the school district to enable students with exceptionalities to access appropriate educational services.

• Provide leadership, coordination, supervision, and management for all special education programs and services in collaboration with and under the direction of the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services.
• Abides by federal, state, and local school laws and regulations, mandated programs, District policies and administrative regulations.
• Monitors and ensures the District's compliance with students’ special education rights. Stays up to date with and ensures changes are communicated regarding federal and state special education laws, regulations, standards, guidance, best practice, forms, and related matters. Provides periodic updates of regulations and other legal issues in special education to appropriate administrative and instructional staff.
• Directs and supervises the placement of students with identified exceptionalities upon request or referral; plans and supervises the District’s referral, evaluation and placement of exceptional children.
• Guides multi-disciplinary and individualized educational program team meetings focused on consistent and appropriate student-centered decision making across all buildings in the district and the commitment of appropriate district resources to meet student needs.
• Utilizes the district’s differentiated supervision options in the supervision of special education teachers in collaboration with building principals.
• Utilizes the District’s established supervision procedures for part-time and full-time special education paraprofessionals.

• Coordinates the provision of appropriate extended school year programs.
• Supervises coordination among early intervention service providers, parents/guardians, and District personnel to ensure all students transitioning to school-age receive appropriate supports and services as well as assists in providing transitional services for students exiting special education programs.
• Responsible for directing the Gifted Education Program.
• Participate in the recruitment and hiring of special education instructional staff, paraprofessional staff, and substitutes.
• Coordinates with transportation to ensure student transportation needs, both during the school year and for extended school year, are met.
• Makes recommendations to the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services annually regarding the appropriate organization of special education services throughout the district including recommendations for professional and nonprofessional special education staff assignments. Supervises revisions of special education programs and services to meet the ongoing needs of the District.
• Participates in planning standardized group testing programs for students with disabilities.
  
• Assists with the maintenance of the District child accounting and child tracking system for students in need of special education to meet periodic child counts within required timelines.
• Ensures the completion of all administrative activities and written documentation required by state and federal mandates in servicing all exceptional students.
• Assists in the preparation of the required District Plan for Special Education to submit to the State Department of Education and files amendments as needed.
• Provides leadership, coordination, and staff services by working with school principals and department members to develop, implement, and evaluate programs for staff and students
• Keeps abreast of professional changes and represents the school district at professional meetings on national, state, and local levels in areas related to special education services.
• Establishes good working relationships with the various agencies and offices within the community that offer special help to students and their parents/guardians.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services and/or Superintendent.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

1. Knowledge of the techniques and methods of instruction
2. General knowledge of the principles, practices and procedures of school administration
3. Ability to develop and present ideas effectively in both oral and written formats
4. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

1. Experience
1. 5-7 years in the field of public education, part of which must have been in special education or a related field required
2. Experience in an administrative or supervisory capacity preferred
2. Education
1. Masters degree in special education or related field is required
2. Knowledge of special education law, disabilities, programmatic needs of students, and best practices in the field is necessary
3. Licenses and Certifications
1. Valid Pennsylvania Supervisory or Administrative Certificate required
2. Valid Pennsylvania Supervisor of Special Education Certificate preferred
3. Valid Pennsylvania K-12 Principal Certificates will be considered

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

1. Work requires the frequent exertion of up to 10 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force.
2. Work regularly requires speaking or hearing and using hands to finger, handle or feel, frequently

requires sitting, reaching with hands and arms and repetitive motions and occasionally requires standing, walking, climbing or balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, pushing or pulling and lifting.

1. Work has standard vision requirements.
2. Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly.
3. Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound.
   
4. Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, visual inspection involving small defects and/or small parts, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities
5. Work occasionally requires exposure to outdoor weather conditions and exposure to the risk of electrical shock.
6. Work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).
7. Must be mobile enough for frequent traveling to and from schools and facilities inside and outside the school division.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Valid Driver’s License
2. Submission of pre-employment medical examination (Section 148 of the Pennsylvania School Code)
3. Submission of a report of criminal history record from the Pennsylvania State Police (Section 111 of the Pennsylvania School Code)
4. Submission of a clearance report from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare in accordance with Act 151 of 1994
5. Submission of Federal Criminal History Record in accordance with Act 114 of 2006
6. Submission of the Arrest/Conviction Report and Certification Form as required under Act 24 of 2011
7. Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board may find appropriate and acceptable

(Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable a qualified individual with a disability or disabilities to perform the primary duties and responsibilities of the job.)