Behavior Specialist Jobs

JOB SUMMARY

Behavior Specialists utilize effective and appropriate behavior interventions with students and provide a behavioral continuum for responses to inappropriate student behavior. Behavior Specialists provide support to students to encourage the use of appropriate behaviors that will allow the students to fully participate in the classroom and program. Behavior Specialists are an integral part of training staff in behavior management and crisis intervention. Behavior Specialists provide assistance and supervision on staffs’ use of protocols and procedures when physically restraining or secluding students. Behavior Specialists monitor students’ arrival and dismissal, and maintain a presence in the school hallways and classrooms throughout the day. They actively engage with students and staff to identify potential conflicts or students who are in need of additional support.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Provide direction to staff during crisis and non-crisis situations to assist staff with improving behavior management skills and decision making skills; manage the need for additional staff in crisis situations and direct staff back to other duties when appropriate; facilitates debriefing sessions with staff to review incidents and identify staff member responsible for completing required documentation
• Actively manage the hallways during arrival, transition, and dismissal and ensure staff are at assigned posts
• Actively engage with students and staff to identify potential conflicts or students who are in need of additional support; facilitate or participate in mediations, reentry meetings, and parent meetings
• Maintain required electronic and paper documentation regarding intensive behavior interventions, including but not limited to, mediations, bus incidents, critical incidents, bullying reports, and behavior intervention referrals
• Demonstrate an understanding of how our students’ disabilities impact their behavior and ability to learn; display knowledge of students’ diagnoses and adapt intervention strategies accordingly to meet the requirements of the students’ IEPs and BIPs
• Demonstrate appropriate use of verbal de-escalation skills to manage student behaviors; utilize the behavior continuum in order to use or consider the use of the least restrictive
• Reinforce the expectations for learning and standards for classroom participation and behavior; effectively manage student behavior through implementation of positive behavior management systems, school rules, policies and procedures, and model appropriate behavior for students during the school day; assist students with using strategies to decrease and avoid inappropriate behaviors
• Monitor and provide support, both inside and outside of the classrooms, for students who have been identified as needing additional behavior interventions
• Provide situational training and guidance to staff on correct utilization of verbal and physical behavior interventions to help increase their behavior intervention skill levels
• Maintain student confidentiality in accordance with The Foundation Schools Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Statement and student record confidentiality procedures
• Proactively provide supervision of students to ensure the safety and security of the school program at all times
• Proactively identify behaviors among all students that could lead to a crisis, an unsafe situation or disrupt the learning environment; use effective behavior management techniques to address these behaviors in order to limit the severity and length of disruptions
• Consistently and appropriately utilize and model TACT 2 verbal de-escalation and approved physical restraint techniques, Life Space Crisis Intervention (if trained), and behavior management strategies; provide staff training on behavior management procedures and program processes

QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma, G.E.D., or equivalent is required
• Related course work, Associates or Bachelor’s degree is preferred
• Two or more years’ experience in special education, a psychiatric setting or other similar setting for children and adolescents is required
• Training in TACT 2, Life Space Crisis Intervention, or similar crisis intervention program is preferred