Student Culture Paraeducator (Middle School)

Student Culture Paraeducator

Reporting To: Principal

Position Type: Full-Time

Pay: $21 - $28.03 (DOE)

About ECS

The mission of the Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) is to reimagine public education in low-income communities of color to prepare conscious, critical thinkers who are equipped to graduate from college and create a more equitable and sustainable world. Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) is a non-profit charter management organization with four free public schools in South Los Angeles.

Since its inception in 2001, ECS has provided a unique learning experience that utilizes project-based, interdisciplinary curricula to inspire our students to find authentic meaning in their studies. ECS proudly serves over 1,500 students at two middle schools (Gardena and Inglewood) and at two high schools (Lawndale and Gardena) and has been recognized for its ability to close achievement gaps for low-income Black/African American and Latino students. ECHS Lawndale ranks in the top 2% of public high schools in U.S. News & World Report, 100% of students graduate high school with the coursework necessary for admission to a four-year college or university, and 97% of students are admitted into a four-year college. Most of our students will be the first in their family to graduate from college.

The Opportunity

The Student Culture Paraeducator is a member of the ECS Paraeducator Job Family who provides direct behavioral, social emotional, restorative, and student engagement support. The employee works under the direction of the Dean of Student Climate and Culture and designated certificated administrators. The employee collaborates with certificated staff and implements plans, interventions, and procedures that are co-developed with and approved by certificated staff. The employee does not independently make disciplinary, programmatic, placement, safety, IEP, or 504 decisions.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Provide direct behavioral, social emotional, restorative, and student engagement support to individual students and groups.
• Implement established schoolwide and individualized supports under the direction of the Dean of Student Climate and Culture and designated certificated administrators.
• Use trained prevention, regulation, deescalation, restorative, and reengagement strategies to support student safety, belonging, and access to instruction.
• Collect and communicate objective intervention data and maintain assigned student support records.
• Refer significant disciplinary, programmatic, safety, mandated reporting, threat assessment, IEP, 504, and placement concerns to the appropriate administrator or certificated employee.

Inclusive Behavioral and Student Support

• Provide behavioral, executive functioning, social emotional, restorative, and engagement support across classrooms and school settings.
• Support students with and without IEPs, 504 Plans, or individualized plans to increase participation, independence, belonging, and access to learning.
• Implement Tier 1 supports and assigned Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions; recognize early escalation and use trained prevention, regulation, deescalation, and reengagement strategies in collaboration with the Dean of Student Climate and Culture and designated certificated staff.
• Implement accommodations, Behavior Intervention Plans, safety plans, student success plans, and other supports as directed by certificated staff.
• Reinforce replacement behaviors, functional communication, coping skills, conflict resolution, and successful return to instruction.

Restorative Practices and Relationship Building

• Facilitate or co-facilitate assigned restorative conversations, community building circles, support circles, and problem solving processes within demonstrated training and competency.
• Support students in understanding impact, identifying appropriate repairs, and reintegrating successfully into the school community.
• Provide early support for peer conflict, interpersonal challenges, and bullying concerns; elevate significant concerns to the Dean or certificated administrator.
• Follow up on assigned interventions to support repair, reengagement, student voice, dignity, and belonging.

Tier 2 and Tier 3 Intervention and Documentation

• Implement assigned behavior, attendance, engagement, social emotional, and restorative interventions co-developed with and approved by certificated staff.
• Provide approved individual and small group supports, including check in and check out, reentry support, and other defined interventions.
• Collect objective data and maintain intervention logs, restorative documentation, and other assigned records.
• Communicate student response, implementation concerns, and observed patterns to the Dean and appropriate certificated staff.
• Participate in MTSS, SST, IEP, 504, behavior, attendance, and climate and culture meetings as assigned.

Collaboration and Plan Implementation

• Collaborate with the Dean, administrators, teachers, counselors, special education staff, school psychologists, social workers, paraeducators, and other student support personnel.
• Contribute observations and implementation data to plans developed by certificated staff; implement approved plans and request clarification when needed.
• Support consistent use of established interventions and student support procedures across settings.
• Communicate professionally with families when directed by the Dean or certificated administrator and within the scope of assigned responsibilities.
• Model established behavioral, restorative, deescalation, and engagement practices for paraeducator colleagues and reinforce assigned procedures without supervising or evaluating employees.

Climate and Culture Systems Support

• Carry out assigned climate and culture routines, interventions, and student support processes under the direction of the Dean and designated certificated administrators.
• Maintain assigned check in and check out, restorative follow up, reentry, and intervention records; communicate completion and implementation gaps to the Dean.
• Assist with belonging, attendance, positive behavior, restorative, anti-bullying, student recognition, community building, and student voice activities as assigned.
• Contribute data and observations to team review and continuous improvement of established practices.

Scope and Decision Making

• Work is assigned, directed, and reviewed by the Dean of Student Climate and Culture and designated certificated administrators.
• Plans and interventions are developed collaboratively with certificated staff and require certificated or administrative approval before implementation.
• The Climate and Culture Assistant does not independently design programs, determine discipline, make IEP or 504 decisions, conduct threat assessments, change student placements, supervise employees, or make other decisions reserved for certificated staff or administrators.
• The Principal, Dean, and designated certificated administrators retain responsibility for schoolwide discipline, program design, student safety decisions, personnel supervision, and overall climate and culture strategy.

Professional Responsibilities

• Maintain confidentiality, professional boundaries, ethical conduct, accurate documentation, and professional communication.
• Follow ECS policies, student plans, safety procedures, mandated reporting requirements, and directions from administrators and certificated staff.
• Participate in required training, professional learning, and team meetings.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent and completion of all ECS paraeducator requirements.
• Current CPR and First Aid certification.
• Demonstrated experience supporting behavioral, social emotional, restorative, or student interventions.
• Strong judgment, communication, collaboration, organization, documentation, and problem solving skills.
• Commitment to inclusive education, student belonging, equity, restorative practice, and ECS values.

Preferred Qualifications

• Postsecondary education or bachelor's degree.
• Experience with Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports, restorative practices, deescalation, MTSS, reentry, check in and check out, and behavioral data collection.
• Bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish

Differential Eligibility

Eligibility requires an ECS designated qualifying assignment, required training, and demonstrated competency in restorative intervention, deescalation and regulation, Tier 2 and Tier 3 behavior support, objective documentation, reentry and repair, and implementation of individualized behavior supports.

The Perks

• Competitive compensation package inclusive of a generous benefits package
• 100% of HMO level healthcare premium costs covered by employer, and contributions towards dependent healthcare
• Employer-paid ECS life insurance
• Voluntary Benefits (Supplemental Life, Accident, Short Term Disability, etc.)
• Generous time off program includes 22 holidays, sick leave and vacation
• Support with application to loan forgiveness programs, and access to 403b Retirement Plans
• Small Learning Communities with smaller class sizes and lower student to counselor ratios
• Social and Environmental Justice Focus

This job primarily operates on a school site and in classrooms and utilizes typical office equipment (computers, phones, photocopiers, etc.). Physical demands include: positioning to lift (should be able to lift up to 30 pounds to waist high), carry, push, and/or pull, kneel, stoop, crouch and bend. Generally, the job is 60% Stationary and 40% moving/traversing. Travel required for visits to other local school sites or the Home Office (as needed).

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. ECS does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of age, actual or perceived race, actual or perceived gender, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, or sexual orientation. ECS complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure equal access to all qualified individuals with a disability. If you have any questions, please contact the Human Resource Administrator at (310) 214-3408.

Pay: $21.00 - $28.03 per hour

Expected hours: 40.0 per week

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Professional development assistance

Work Location: In person