Paraprofessional, SpEd Special Needs Grade K-2

Description The Academy is hiring a full-time Special Education Special Needs Paraprofessional for grades K-2 for the 2026-2027 school year.

The Academy of Charter Schools Is…

The Academy of Charter Schools is a public PK-12 school of choice located in Westminster, Colorado. We pair a rigorous, content-rich curriculum with opportunities to explore strengths and passions to achieve the highest standards for all. Our mission is to help all students grow into college ready, exemplary citizens by combining academic mastery with personal empowerment to drive lifelong success. We serve our full community by intentionally developing a school culture that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Our approach to vertically aligning the full educational experience for our students from youngest to oldest centers around three notions – Prepare, Explore, and Empower – that keep us grounded in The Academy’s mission and vision as we set priorities and make decisions that impact instruction and school culture.

Academy Employees Are…

• At The Academy, employees embody our mission, vision, and values every day.
• They guide and support staff to prepare students for academic mastery by delivering evidence-based curricula; they collaborate with students, staff, and families to design student-centered learning experiences that create opportunities to explore strengths and passions; and they support the implementation of social-emotional skills lessons that empower students to become leaders of their own learning.
• Academy employees work hard to provide an engaging, inclusive, and joyful learning environment.
• They embrace relationships and positive communication with a diverse community of students, staff, and families while helping maintain a culture of high expectations for all.
• Experience in school environments, strong people skills, and ability to work within a team is required.

What Makes a Good Academy Employee?

• The Academy is looking for committed leaders who are prepared to perform at a high level in a demanding environment.
• Some of the characteristics that make for a successful employee at The Academy include: A people-first, relationship-focused orientation A growth mindset A belief that ALL children can achieve at high levels A passion for contributing to overall school success by working alongside and supporting others A creative, innovative, and caring attitude A spirit of openness, trust, and kindness A dedication to data-driven practices A highly motivated work ethic and willingness to tackle challenges Comfort with being flexible A sense of humor At The Academy, we know that diversity makes us stronger and challenges us to think differently every day.
• The Academy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status or disability.
• The online application should include a cover letter and resume.
• Candidate must meet the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirements the first year of employment.
• The requirements are an Associates college degree, OR, completion of 48 college semester hours, OR passing of a State CDE approved paraprofessional examination.
• Hourly rate starting at $20.00 per hour, based on experience 8 hour work days, Monday - Friday School year starts August 12, 2026; school year ends May 27, 2027 Health Benefits - 100% paid for employees on select plans PERA Retirement Benefits Visit our website at www.theacademyk12.org.
• The Academy’s comprehensive benefits package includes a number of different plans for full-time employees.
• Refer to Employee Benefits Enrollment Guide for details at https://www.theacademyk12.org/about-us/working-for-us. Information on employee paid leave is also available at this same location.

SUMMARY

A Special Education Special Needs Paraprofessional supports individual students and groups of students in The Academy’s special education and general education to be successful within a highly modified and supported learning environment.

Essential duties and responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• 1.
• Provide one-on-one or small group support to students with special needs or behavior needs.
• 2.
• Assist students in maintaining personal and mental health functions as needed.
• May assist students with personal care, safety support, feeding needs, and other daily living activities required throughout the school day 3.
• Collaborate closely with the classroom and special education teachers, pushing into classrooms to support special education student(s) within the general education environment.
• Provide supplemental instruction and supporting work completion with individual special education students outside of the general education environment, and implementing behavior intervention plans as needed.
• 4.
• Guide an individual student or small group of students with special needs through a modified daily schedule, including time spent within and without the general education classroom.
• Provide supplemental academic instruction as needed.
• 5.
• Demonstrate flexibility, patience, and a love of children and teenagers.
• 6.
• Ability to create and maintain good working relationships with staff and families and demonstrate ability to exercise a high level of tact and discretion in professional interactions.
• 7.
• Maintain data collection records on specific behaviors and goals.
• 8.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

EDUCATION AND RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE: High School Diploma or equivalent. Experience in working with school age students with learning disabilities in an instructional environment required. Must meet the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Requirements, which are: AA or 2-year college degree, OR Completion of 48 college semester hours, OR Passing of state CDE approved paraprofessional examination LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS or CERTIFICATIONS: ? Criminal background check required for hire. ? First Aid certification required within 30 days of entering position. ? Must successfully complete Safety Training Class within 30 days of entering position. ? Crisis prevention training, preferred ? Applied behavior analysis training or RBT training, preferred.

Technical skills, knowledge & abilities

? Demonstrated skill in handling children and adolescents. ? Ability to diffuse and manage stressful situations. ? Ability to maintain confidentiality in all aspects of the job. ? Knowledgeable in Colorado School Law, Authorizer policies, The Academy mission, philosophies, policies and administrative procedures. ? Ability to communicate, interact and work effectively and cooperatively with people from diverse ethnic and educational backgrounds. ? Ability to recognize the importance of safety in the workplace, follow safety rules, practice safe work habits, utilize appropriate safety equipment and report unsafe conditions to the appropriate administrator.

Materials and equipment operating knowledge

• Operating knowledge of and experience with personal computers and peripherals Operating knowledge of and experience with Microsoft Office applications Operating knowledge of and experience with all software used by the SPED department Operating knowledge of and experience with typical office equipment, such as telephones, copier, fax machine, e-mail, etc. preferred
• Reporting
• Relationships &
• Direction/Guidance:
• Reports to: Principal, Assistant Principal or Dean

Direct reports and # of employees

• None
• BUDGET
• AND/OR
• Resource
• Responsibility:
• This job has no budgetary responsibilities
• Physical
• REQUIREMENTS: The physical demands, work environment factors and mental functions described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical activities

• Stand - Over 2/3 Walk - Over 2/3 Sit - Under 1/3 Use hands to finger, handle or feed - 1/3 to 2/3 Reach with hands and arms - 1/3 to 2/3 Climb or balance – Under 1/3 Stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl – Under 1/3 Talk – 1/3 to 2/3 Hear – 1/3 to 2/3 Taste - None Smell –
• Under 1/3
• WEIGHT and
• FORCE
• DEMANDS:Up to 10 pounds - 1/3 to 2/3Up to 25 pounds - None Up to 50 pounds – None
• Up to 100 pounds -
• None
• More than 100 pounds -
• None
• MENTAL
• FUNCTIONS:Compare - 1/3 to 2/3 Analyze – Under 1/3 Communicate - Over 2/3 Copy - Under 1/3 Coordinate - Under 1/3 Instruct - 1/3 to 2/3 Compute - Under 1/3 Synthesize - Under 1/3E valuate - Under 1/3 Interpersonal Skills -
• Over 2/3
• Compile -
• Under 1/3
• Negotiate -
• Under 1/3
• WORK
• ENVIONMENT:Wet or humid conditions (non-weather) - None Work near moving mechanical parts - None Work in high, precarious places - None Fumes or airborne particles - None Toxic or caustic chemicals - None Outdoor weather conditions - 1/3 to 2/3 Extreme cold (non-weather) - None Extreme heat (non-weather) - None Risk of electrical shock - None Work with explosives -
• None
• Risk of radiation -
• None
• Vibration -
• None
• VISION
• DEMANDS:No special vision requirements - Not Required Close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less) - Required Distance vision (clear vision at 20 feet or more) - Required Color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors) – Required Peripheral vision - Required Depth perception - Required Ability to adjust focus - Required NOISE LEVEL – Exposure Level Indicated by an ‘X’: Very Quiet Quiet Moderate Loud - X Very Loud