Special Education Administrative Assistant

About Leaders In Our Neighborhood (LION) Charter School:

LION is built on the belief that every person has potential and a larger purpose in life, and character growth is key to exposing that potential and purpose. LION maintains a student-centered culture that motivates character development and emphasizes curiosity, courage, concern, integrity, and leadership. Our goal is to prepare children for college and beyond, and to live their lives according to standards of personal excellence. We believe in order to provide the best possible education for our young leaders, we as educators need to be in a continuous growth process. Working at LION is a unique and rewarding experience. Our staff receives both professional development and participates in their own self-discovery process including journaling, facilitated discussion, workshops, and seminars.

Summary:

The Special Education Department seeks a Special Education Administrative Assistant to support the Special Education Director and Division Directors of Student Services and Support in managing systems and plans that ensure highly effective instruction for our students that receive Special Education services in compliance with the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Special Education Administrative Assistant is the "right hand" to the Special Education Director, and the SEAA provides critical operational and administrative support to the Special Education Department at Hyde through managing systems of compliance, data, and communication.

Essential Responsibilities

Compliance

• Maintain IEP filing systems in both K-8 and 9-12 buildings that are compliant with IDEA regulations.
• Support the Special Education Director and Division Directors of Student Services and Support in maintaining deadlines specific to initial evaluation meetings, annual review meetings, and re-evaluation meetings of IEPs. These deadlines include ensuring documentation necessary for each of these types of meetings is prepared.
• Manage student accommodations and proper scheduling for standardized tests in collaboration with assessment coordinators at each division level.
• Support the Special Education Director to ensure that all due process procedures as they pertain to Special Education are being met.

Communication

• Communicate regularly with the Committee on Special Education (CSE), Special Education Director, Division Directors of Student Services and Support, and families in regards to meetings, progress of evaluations, concerns, etc.
• Take notes during meetings and distribute notes to all parties who need information following guidelines of confidentiality.
• Support Special Education Director and Division Directors of Student Services and Support in communicating clear expectations between Division Directors and other stakeholders (including, but not limited to: Executive Director, Special Education Teachers, CSE, academic teams, General Education Teachers, etc.).
• Perform verbal translations for families who speak Spanish for meetings. Complete written translations of various documents pertaining to IEPs and as needed.
• Screen and prioritize incoming phone calls and requests.
• Greet visitors; determine whether unscheduled visitors should be given access to specific individuals or schedule meetings.

Data

• Support Special Education Director and Division Directors of Student Services and Support in tracking academic and behavioral progress of all students with IEPs. Collect and organize student academic, discipline, and attendance data.
• Manage regular communication of progress through data reports with all parties Special Education Director and Division Directors of Student Services and Support, Teachers, Executive Director, Division Directors, etc.).
• Maintain data needed for annual NYSED Special Education reports (e.g., PD-6, PD-8, etc.).
• Maintain up-to-date comprehensive lists of students with Special Education services, ENL services, and 504 accommodations.

Organization and Scheduling

• Support Special Education Director and Division Directors of Student Services and Support in organizing files and paperwork.
• Support Special Education Director and Division Directors of Student Services and Support in preparation for Professional Development sessions, etc.
• Maintain and manage the executive calendars, scheduling and supporting meetings and email.
• Support Special Education Director and Division Directors of Student Services and Support in maintenance of deadlines that staff (including but not limited to: Special Education Teachers, General Education Teachers, Related Service Providers, etc.) must meet for tracking progress of students, preparing for IEP meetings (IEP teacher reports and related service progress reports), providing documentation, etc.
• Manage workflow and deadlines.

Other

• Support Special Education Director in tracking spending and budgeting.
• Manage projects independently.
• Provide administrative support and manage others.
• Draft reports and letters, materials for parents and presentations.
• Manage substitutes; schedule substitutes and support substitutes on site.
• Compose and distribute letters and memos.

Qualifications:

• A passion for urban education and a commitment to LION's mission.
• A commitment to equity and antiracism work by reinforcing a culture that supports an anti-biased, anti-racist and culturally responsive environment.
• A commitment to inclusive education and the belief that all children have a right to high quality education in the least restrictive setting.
• Proven writing, communication, and presentation skills.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish, both verbal and written.
• Ability to communicate and build trusting relationships and function effectively with school-based staff, students, and families.
• Organized, detail-oriented and can utilize your organizational skills to maximize time for those you support.
• Able to work in a fast-paced environment, are relentless in your follow-through, and are able to stay on top of details.
• Adept at adapting systems created by others and can adapt to new technological platforms required for your role.
• Able to gain investment from multiple stakeholders, and you understand how important it is to lead behind the scenes and take ownership over the projects under your purview, while also working with different teams across the school.
• Ability to handle pressure, maintain timelines, and meet deadlines.
• Experience with Google Suite applications (Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc.) and student database systems (preferred).
• Strong interpersonal skills, team player, problem solver.
• High school diploma; Associates degree required,bachelor's degree preferred.