About Northern Lights Academy Cooperative
Welcome to Northern Lights Academy! The Northern Lights Academy (NLA) mission is to support children and youth with significant emotional and behavioral needs, as well as those with low incidence disabilities. We provide academic, social and functional skill development, and mental health services to students from the member school districts of The Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative.
Our goal is to foster learning, promote independence, cultivate social and behavior skills, work in partnerships with families, and support students to become successful learners in their least restrictive environment, as well as active, productive members of our communities.
If you are passionate about education and community, we invite you to join our team!
Northern Lights Academy
School Safety Coach Job Description
SUPERVISOR:
-Classroom teacher/School Social Worker
-Assistant Special Education Director/Principal
Education and Experience Requirements:
-Minimum of High school diploma or a general education development (GED) certificate.
-Meet MN requirements for being designated as Highly Qualified
*Completion of at least two years of study at an institution of higher education (equivalent to 60 semester credits).
*An Associate’s degree (or higher).
*Or A passing score on a state-approved formal academic assessment on the Minnesota Paraeducator Assessment within 30 days of employment.
-Four (4) years of full-time employment or equivalent in any of the following areas:
*Working with individuals in an environment that provides broad familiarity with an understanding of the physical and emotional behaviors and challenges of children with disabilities and/or from challenging backgrounds,
*Public Safety,
*Building positive relationships and working with youth, such as coaching or mentoring, and/or
*A behavioral intervention position in a Level IV Special Education setting
-Physical Job Requirements:
*Position involves bending, stooping and kneeling while working with students
*Position involves extended periods of time on feet
*Position involves occasionally lifting up to 40 lbs.
*Position involves physical restraining of students, including older students if necessary, in emergency and last resort situations
-Additional Requirements for Continued Employment as a SSC
*Obtain CPR and First Aid certification - preferred but not required.
*Become certified in Crisis Prevention Intervention
*Complete Behavior tool training within 3 months of hire
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
-Knowledge of:
*Minnesota State and Federal laws, regulations, rules, codes, and standards pertaining to workplace safety, emergency preparedness, and critical incidents;
*Best practices with regard to emergency planning assessments, workplace safety, threats, and security assessments;
-Knowledge and understanding of:
*De-escalation techniques; Collaborative Problem Solving Model (CPS);
*Trauma-Responsive Practices;
*Restorative Practices;
*Non-violent defensive tactics;
*CPI holds and restraints (always relying on least restrictive interventions);
*Use-of-force and the Force Continuum
*Understanding of childhood trauma and the impact of trauma on school performance
-Skilled in:
*Emergency preparedness and readiness;
*Developing and maintaining working relationships with students, staff, families, community with various ethnic/racial and socioeconomic backgrounds;
*De-escalating crisis situations and helping students who are upset, distraught, distressed or dysregulated to become regulated;
*Creating, maintaining, and modeling appropriate boundaries, particularly with students
-Ability to:
*Physically intervene with physically aggressive students using proper procedures and techniques;
*Proactively identify and suggest ways to reduce safety risks and liability, prevent and manage workplace violence, and improve school - community relations relating to safety;
*Coach and direct other staff in times of crisis/physical intervention following IEPs;
*Work closely with building administrator to promote building safety and security;
*Communicate with administrators about all safety and security concerns, critical incidents, restrictive procedures, and any type of weapon that is found or rumored to be on campus;
*Recognize, identify and intervene when students are physically aggressive or showing signs of escalation and may possibly become physically aggressive
*Provide in rare instances and only when necessary, physical security intervention practices to detain, confine or restrain physically aggressive students (always using the least restrictive techniques that will keep the student and others safe) using school approved techniques
*Coordinate emergency preparedness activities, drills and safety committees in collaboration with the building administrator;
*Use and administer Go Guardian for all the classrooms;
*Be open to constructive feedback, and implement changes in practice if necessary in response to the feedback
Essential Functions:
The following identifies the primary and essential functions of the position and is not intended to be an exhaustive listing of all duties.
-Serve as an advocate for educational equity for all students and families, with a particular emphasis on equity in behavior and safety planning and response;
-Promote and reinforce positive student behavior;
-Respond to crisis situations, triage, and call 911, EMS and or Crisis Team as directed by Administration as needed;
-Seek to develop positive relationships with all students in the building;
-Debrief problematic behavior with students;
-Be knowledgeable of specific disabilities and learning characteristics, as well as available resources when implementing evidence-based Crisis Response Activities;
-Assist staff in observing, recording, and charting behaviors;
-Assist staff with crises, problems, and behavior management
-Assist students, on a limited as needed basis, with physical needs such as toileting, eating and dressing when a student poses a safety concern to themselves or others
-Participate in professional activities and meetings, such as IEPS, committees, All Staff meetings, etc as scheduled;
-Work with audio-visual equipment, computers, and/or assistive technology as related to IEP accommodations and modifications;
-Provide supervision to students in hallways, lunchrooms, gym,outside and classroom areas
-Observe and draft observation notes on incidents that occur during the school day
-Guide/support students and staff during and Restorative Practices
-Work with all staff to communicate and problem solve situations as they arise
-Follow and fulfill daily reporting requirements
-Other duties as assigned
Reinforce Program Instruction
-Assist students with physical elements of hygiene, bath rooming, occupational therapy, feeding, clothing, diapering, transfers, etc.
-Assist students with daily transitions (e.g., transition between tasks and/or rooms, lunch, playground, etc.)
-Assist students in the classroom helping the student to access the curriculum under supervision of the special education teacher
-Assist the special education teacher in implementing student’s Individual Educational Plan (IEP) goals and accommodations
-Assist in implementing behavior management programs
-Under supervision of special education teacher, reinforce instruction introduced by the student’s general and/or special education teacher(s)
-Monitor the student to ensure his/her safety and the safety of other persons
-Foster and encourage the independence of the student
-Assist with crisis intervention which includes physical restraints
-Establish a positive and nurturing relationship with the student
-Assist in supporting classroom discipline
-Assist student during field trips and other outings (e.g., assist transportation drivers secure wheelchairs when appropriate, on bus/van, assist students with orientation and mobility, assist teacher(s) in monitoring students for safety, etc)
-Collect and maintain data as directed by supervising teacher
Preparatory
-Assist classroom teacher with preparatory materials Perform related work as assigned or requested including attending professional development/meetings, in-services and workshops
Machines, Tools, Equipment, Electronic Devices, and Software:
-Operates equipment which may include computer, printer, copy machine, telephone, and walkie-talkie
-Uses Gmail to receive district, school, and classroom communication
Mental Job Requirements:
-Position involves responding to changing technology
-Position requires handling multiple tasks at once while dealing with constant interruptions
-Position requires flexibility and a willingness to undertake a variety of tasks, sometimes at the direction of more than one person
Working Conditions:
-Majority of work is performed in normal classroom conditions
-Position involves occasional exposure to blood/bodily fluids and airborne pathogens
-Position involves exposure to outside temperatures and weather conditions for recess, gym, walks with a student, etc.
-Position involves exposure to students with special needs and also students with severe disabilities
-Position involves assisting with daily cares for some students, including supervision of toileting tasks
-Position involves risk of occasional physical injury from student and/or emotional outbursts
-Position involves working in gym areas
-Position may involve traveling between buildings, within the building, and work area
-This description describes the general nature and work expected of an individual assigned to this position. Employees may be required to perform other job-related duties as requested by their supervisor. All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability.
Salary and Benefits
The starting pay for this position is $25.00 per hour. This position works 7.5 hours per day and is paid for 9 holidays in addition to the 170 work days throughout the school year.
We are proud to offer a wide array of benefits to our employees, including medical, dental, life, long-term disability, long-term care, an employee assistance program, and retirement contributions. You will also be eligible for paid sick, personal, and emergency time.
How to Apply
Application deadline is
until filled. Position will remain open until filled.
Individuals who wish to be considered for this position must apply with this
application. Please send application to Barb Mackey, Assistant Special Education Director; Northern Lights Academy; 302 14th Street, Cloquet, MN 55720
Only qualified and appropriately licensed individuals will be considered for an interview.
For any inquiries or questions regarding the position, please contact
Barb Mackey, Assistant Special Education Director, at [email protected] or 218-878-3064.
A diverse workforce fuels innovation and allows us to better understand, communicate with, educate, and support our students. Northern Lights Academy will not deny anyone the opportunity for training or employment because of sex, race, religion, color, creed, national origin, marital status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or status with regard to public assistance.
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications outlined in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and know that candidate may be one who comes from a less traditional background. We encourage you to apply even if you don't believe you meet every one of our qualifications described.