Student Support Specialists

Medford Public Schools; Waltham (MA); On-site; USD 30,000 - 34,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Part-Time / Non-Exempt

Competitive hourly pay

Job summary

Medford Public Schools seeks a Student Support Specialist to provide dedicated 1:1 support for students with diverse needs in after-school activities. The role balances safety with asset-based, inclusive care, implementing tailored accommodations and promoting social-emotional learning.

Responsibilities include facilitating inclusive participation, executing behavior plans, and partnering with caregivers and school-day staff.

Qualifications

• 3+ years experience supporting students with disabilities in education or therapeutic settings.
• Very experienced 1:1 support in substantially separate classrooms; respond to elopement and challenging behaviors.
• Knowledge of MA special ed frameworks and PBIS; trauma-informed care principles.
• First Aid/CPR certification or willingness to obtain; Safety-Care/CPI preferred.
• High school diploma or equivalent; Associate degree or paraprofessional cert preferred.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate inclusive participation for after-school activities alongside peers.
• Implement individualized behavior plans, sensory diets, and transition strategies.
• Provide safety oversight for high-need concerns, including elopement and pica.
• Use de-escalation and trauma-informed approaches; guide to sensory spaces as needed.
• Support social-emotional learning, turn-taking, and peer connections.
• Collaborate with caregivers and school-day staff during check-ins.
• Record insights on student strengths and routines for day-long continuity.
• Assist in goal development and progress documentation in after-school setting.

Skills

1:1 support

PBIS

trauma-informed care

de-escalation

AAC devices

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Associate degree or paraprofessional certification (MA DESE)

Tools

Visual schedules

AAC devices

Job description

The Student Support Specialist provides dedicated, individualized 1:1 support to ensure that students with significant, diverse learning, physical, emotional, and sensory needs can meaningfully participate in after-school activities alongside their peers. This role balances safety and specialized care with an asset-based, inclusive approach - implementing tailored accommodations while fostering social-emotional learning (SEL), peer connections, and student autonomy in alignment with Massachusetts inclusive

Direct Support & Inclusion

• Facilitate Inclusive Participation: Scaffold activities to ensure the student can fully access after-school enrichment, games, snacks, and open play alongside peers in the least restrictive environment.
• Implement Accommodations & Behavior Plans: Consistently execute individualized behavior support plans, sensory diets, and transition strategies developed in alignment with the student's IEP, 504 Plan, or after-school support plan.
• Proactive Safety & Health Management: Provide vigilant oversight for high-need safety concerns, including wandering/elopement (bolting), pica (ingesting non-food items), spatial safety, and physical safety during dynamic movement or unstructured times.
• De-escalation & Sensory Regulation: Recognize early triggers for emotional and physical dysregulation; utilize low-arousal, trauma-informed, and de-escalation practices. Accompany the student to designated sensory or quiet spaces for proactive breaks when needed, guiding them back to group activities.
• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Actively model and facilitate positive peer interactions, turn-taking, conflict resolution, and friendship-building using strength-based strategies.
• Caregiver & School-Day Alignment: Partner with the Site Director to attend regular check-ins with caregivers, special educators, and school-day staff.
• Insight Sharing: Gather insights into student strengths, preferences, effective regulation tools, and home/school routines to ensure continuity across the student's day.
• Goal Development: Help establish, track, and adapt individualized SEL and inclusion goals for the after-school setting, documenting daily progress and adjusting strategies as needed.

Qualifications & Competencies

• Experience: Minimum of 3+ years of direct experience supporting students with disabilities in educational, therapeutic, or structured out-of-school-time settings.
• Targeted Experience: Demonstrated background working 1:1 with students in substantially separate special education classrooms or intensive support environments, including direct experience responding to elopement, pica, and verbal/physical behaviors.
• Familiarity with Massachusetts special education frameworks, positive behavior intervention strategies (PBIS), and trauma-informed care principles.
• Proficiency in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices or visual schedule tools is a plus.
• Mindset: An asset-based focus that presumes competence, respects student dignity, and views behavior as communication.
• Certifications: First Aid/CPR certification (or willingness to obtain upon hire); Safety-Care, CPI, or similar crisis prevention/de-escalation training preferred.
• Education: High school diploma or equivalent required; Associate's degree or Paraprofessional Certification under MA DESE standards preferred.

Physical & Working Conditions

Ability to maintain active proximity to student, move quickly to maintain safety (e.g., preventing elopement), and escort students to break areas. Comfort working in active, moderate-to-high noise environments common to after-school recreational spaces.

Compensation: $22-25/hour (commensurate with training and experience)

Position Type: Part-Time / Non-Exempt (School-Year Schedule)

Questions can be sent [e-mail]