Special Education Coordinator

Special Education Coordinator

The Special Education Coordinator provides direct compliance support for the district. The Special Education Coordinator ensures compliance with state and federal guidelines pertaining to special education by assisting with the coordination and monitoring of evaluation timelines, IEP document compliance, implementation of IEPs, progress monitoring data updates, ACHIEVE updates and overall maintenance of the special education audit files.

Key Responsibilities:

• District Compliance:
  Conducts new teacher training for IEP writing. Informs campus-based special education staff and administrators of the timelines for IEP development, annual reviews, evaluation timelines, reevaluations, MDR. Conducts monthly IEP audits to ensure compliance with federal, state and district special education policies and procedures. Manages the status of documents to ensure IEPs are legally compliant in all areas before archiving. Monitors all special education records for accurate student/programs counts.
  
  Meets at least monthly with the Director of Special Education with updates on all documentation. Manages the overall ACHIEVE system for special education. Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Special Education.
• Oversight of ACHIEVE LEA management under the role of permission manager.
• Professional Development and
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Stay abreast of current trends, research, and best practices in special education and therapeutic interventions. Participate in required professional development activities, workshops, and training sessions to enhance knowledge and skills. Collaborate with colleagues to share expertise, resources, and strategies for supporting students with disabilities. Other Duties as assigned by the Director of Special Education or Executive Director of Student and Family Services.
• Program Oversight:
  Foster positive and collaborative relationships with leaders, teachers, support staff, parents and community stakeholders. Facilitate problem solving discussions with IEP teams to ensure equity of voice and team consensus on issues regarding FAPE. Collaborate with leadership to promote inclusive practices and a supportive learning environment for all students.

Qualifications/Knowledge:

• Master's degree in Special Education, Education Leadership, or a related field, preferred.
• Iowa state certification in Special Education or related area.
• Extensive experience in special education
• Leadership experience preferred
• Strong understanding of: federal and state special education rules and laws
• Key components of the IEP process and documents (e.g., goals, services)
• Secondary transition planning
• Ability to effectively allocate and prioritize time to several tasks to ensure completion of all tasks
• Close attention to detail
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) and strong strategic analysis skills
• Able to develop and maintain strong working relationships with colleagues and peers
• Able to work well independently as well as collaboratively
• Ability to execute meetings, calls, and emails with professionalism, courtesy and accuracy
• Personal qualities of maturity, humility, strong work ethic, and diligence

Physical Requirements:

Work is performed primarily in school settings, including classrooms, common areas, and specialized learning environments. Ability to work with and manage students who exhibit challenging behaviors with high levels of dysregulation. Requires frequent standing, walking, and occasional lifting up to 50 pounds. Ability to escort a disruptive student safely from a setting.

Work Environment:

Noise level is quiet to loud. Work may be indoors and/or outdoors. Work may be in non-air-conditioned rooms. Substance-free environment. Fast-paced atmosphere with constant contact with students, staff, or the public. Direct responsibility for the safety, well-being, and work output of students.