Lead Teacher

Responsibilities

Provide supervisory role over classroom teachers to include attendance tracking, disciplinary action, approving time off.

Assist with hiring and will oversee the budget as it relates to purchasing.

Develop and implement necessary educational lesson plans and programs, daily agenda’s, testing materials, grading, etc. for students.  All lessons plans must be maintained on MFH Intranet on SharePoint. 

Required to report for duty one week prior to the first day of school.  Required to attend six in-service and professional development days as scheduled by program administration.  Required to conduct two parent/teacher conferences: one each semester (except acute).  Required to attend four teacher work days. 

Teachers are expected to be on site and prepared for duty at the following times: Residential Treatment Centers 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Day Treatment 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.; Behavioral Hospital 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. for unit 3/orange group teacher).     

During inclement weather, if unable to report to work, PTO must be used. If no educational services are provided this day, a make-up day will be scheduled by program administration (excludes Day Treatment programs who follow their applicable school district schedule).

An expectation of the Teacher is to have prepared quality supplemental educational material in case of an unexpected absence.  A substitute should be able to utilize the previously prepared material in order to ensure the student’s educational requirements are met.

Expected to maintain classroom order and is responsible for student engagement. Lunchroom duty is an expected duty and will be scheduled by program administration.

Facilitate the development and provision of necessary in-service training for educational staff.

Work collaboratively with applicable school districts and/or other educational institutions to facilitate IEP planning, Title One participation and other mandatory documentation.

Prepare quarterly billing during the school year to the respective school districts for educational services provided. 

Responsible for documentation of: attendance records to be submitted on a weekly basis; data collection forms for students with IEP’s; daily observation notes on all students; work portfolios (if indicated) for all students; data on student’s work and progress with PACE Learning System (if applicable); testing documentation and filing; and weekly lesson plans, documented with specific IEP objective #’s when applicable and specific skill as indicated in the Arkansas Framework of basic skills.  Lesson Plans are to be submitted each Friday for the upcoming week.

Must maintain all graded work. Must be preserved for a minimum of two years and are considered part of the student’s record in which is property of MFH.

Assist the treatment team in preparing goals/objectives for the educational portion of a client’s treatment planning.

Explore and utilize measurement techniques and assessment tools necessary for measuring the effectiveness of educational programs.

Maintain client records and files as required by licensing, funding, and certification codes.

Provide related services and duties as requested by program Administrator.

Professional Development

Responsibility is assumed for continuing educational and professional development and contributions are made to the professional growth of others.  Documentation of continuing education credits, licensure, etc., will be maintained and submitted to the Human Resources department for inclusion in the employee’s personnel file.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution

Valid Arkansas Teaching Certification in Special Education

At least two years supervisory experience

Knowledge of the rules, regulations and laws governing services for individuals with disabilities (IDEA)

Physically able to participate in Crisis Prevention Intervention Training

CPR and First-Aid Certification and remain current in both.

Computer literacy in Microsoft Applications. Ability to document accurately and professionally.

Ability as a self-motivator and the aptitude to work in a high stress fast paced position with a minimal amount of supervision.

Must be physically capable to receive verbal and written directions. Must be physically capable of sitting and standing for several hours at a time. 

Must have good auditory, visual and olfactory ability. Ability to use hands and fingers to handle or feel objects, tools or controls.

Must be able to maintain effective audio, visual discrimination and perception needed for making observations, communicating with others, reading and writing, and operating office equipment and other treatment equipment.

Must be able to use a telephone to communicate verbally and a computer to communicate through written means, to review information and enter/retrieve data, to see and read characters on a computer screen, chart or other treatment items.

Remains current in Crisis Prevention Intervention Training and Seclusion/Restraint and assist with crisis interventions if needed.

Must be willing and able to work with all patients of Methodist Family Health.

Flu shot is mandatory and required for all positions (subject only to qualified exemptions).

Qualifications for Special Education Teachers without a Valid Arkansas Certificate in Special Education

First year without Certification

Possess a valid Arkansas Teaching Certificate in another area.

Has a Deficiency Removal Plan (DRP) or Additional Licensure Plan (ALP) that is approved by the Arkansas Department of Education, Teacher Education and Licensure.

Will meet the minimum required progress as evidenced by academic coursework hours toward completion of the DRP or ALP by the end of the school year.  If enrolled in an ALP must submit by the last day of the school year unless granted prior approval by program administration.

If first year requirements have not been fulfilled a contract for the coming school year will not be issued, and employment with MFH will be terminated at the end of the current school year.  Exceptions to this will only be considered if the teacher has written documentation from the Arkansas Department of Education stating reason(s) for non-compliance with the Additional Licensure Plan.

The plan must clearly state “Special Education” in the area at the top.

Second Year without Certification

Hold a valid Arkansas Teaching Certificate in another area.

Have a DRP or Additional Licensure Plan (ALP) that is approved by the Arkansas Department of Education, Teacher Education and Licensure.

Completed the required minimum  hours toward completion of the DRP or the requirements set forth in the ALP by the end of the school year.

If second year requirements have not been fulfilled a contract for the coming school year will not be issued, and employment with MFH will be terminated at the end of the current school year.  Exceptions to this will only be considered if the teacher has written documentation from the Arkansas Department of Education stating reason(s) for non-compliance with the Additional Licensure Plan.

Third Year without Certification

Hold a valid Arkansas Teaching Certificate in another area.

Have a DRP or Additional Licensure Plan (ALP) that is approved by the Arkansas Department of Education, Teacher Education, and Licensure.

Completed all applicable college hours required to meet certification deficiencies by the end of the school year.

If third year requirements have not been fulfilled a contract for the coming school year will not be issued, and employment with MFH will be terminated at the end of the current school year.  Exceptions to this will only be considered if the teacher has written documentation from the Arkansas Department of Education stating reason(s) for non-compliance with the Additional Licensure Plan.

Note

The DRP or Additional Licensure Plan must be stamped, initialed, and dated by the certification department.  This will be considered the official filing date.  Certification must be completed within three years, requirements achieved for each year.  Therefore, if this is the second or third filing, the period for tracking the date of completion will begin from the date of the first filing.

Provide copies of teaching certificates, current transcripts, DRP’s or Additional Licensure Plan (ALP), and, where appropriate, letters from the ADE to the State Board to MFH Human Resource Department.

Teachers attempting to correct certification deficiencies

Enrollment in a college or university to complete coursework must commence within the semester the person is employed with MFH or the one that immediately follows.

Regular reports outlining progress made toward meeting the requirements of the DRP or Additional Licensure Plan must be submitted to the p rogram Administrator and the Human Resource Department and will be added to employee’s file and sent to the supervisor of the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE).

Individuals who are completing courses under an approved deficiency removal plan or additional licensure plan must complete the requirements set forth in the ALP   during the three year period following filing of their plan.

If certification is not obtained at the end of the three-year period, the employed teacher will not be issued a contract for the coming school year, and employment with MFH will be terminated at the end of the current school year.  Exceptions to this will only be considered if the teacher has written documentation from the Arkansas Department of Education stating reason(s) for non-compliance with the Additional Licensure Plan.

Note

The Program Administrators will evaluate this position at least every two years.

Flu vaccination is mandatory and required for all positions (subject only to qualified exemptions).

Job descriptions are not intended, nor should be construed, to be all-inclusive lists of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with a job. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary.

When an employee performs two or more different jobs, for which different straight time hourly rates are established, the employee will be paid during overtime hours at a rate not less than one and one-half time the hourly rate established for the type of work he or she is performing during the overtime hours.

Pursuant to the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act 593, this position is a designated safety-sensitive position according to MFH/MCH/MCBH standards and processes.

Level One - Full Access:  Ongoing regular access to PHI of all forms while the employee is on duty and performing within the scope of his or her job as defined by the employee's job description, and Policy and Procedure.  "Such access must be for cause, consistent with job responsibilities and related to patients, claims, audits, reviews and other legitimate business purposes." (e.g. Physicians, nurses and other clinicians)