TITLE: Transportation Special Needs Assistant

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Assist School Bus Driver with the safe delivery of students to and from school by monitoring student behavior and assisting with special needs students as necessary. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Education equivalent to a High School Diploma or GED
2. Successfully pass District certification in Nonviolent Physical Crisis Intervention, CPR, First Aid, and Physical Performance test
3. Arizona State Level 1 Fingerprint Clearance Card
4. Successfully pass additional District trainings as required for specific program(s)
5. No previous experience is required

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

(Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include any of the following tasks, knowledge, skills, and other characteristics. This list is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY, and is not a comprehensive listing of all duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this class.)

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist with the transportation of students to and from school and on special event trips in a safe manner.
• Enforce bus safety rules, oversee loading and unloading of students and emergency evacuation.
• Organize and assign seating charts if required.
• Monitor student behavior and oversee discipline of students.
• Perform behavior management, redirecting negative behaviors as required.
• Provide continuous instructions to students regarding bus safety rules.
• Uses approved strategies geared to reducing tensions and potentially escalating situations with students who have emotional disabilities, before they become physical and/or uncontrollable.
• Partners with instructional staff at schools and with parents at home on supportive measures that are aligned with the program and individual student’s goals.
• Communicate with school principals, and teachers.
• Assist special needs students with loading and unloading; operate wheelchair lift, and secure students safely in the bus.
• Deliver students to the door to be received by appropriate adult.
• Assist School Bus Driver with pre- and post-trip inspection of the bus.
• Assigned to a bus route that includes specific behavioral population(s).
• Check and monitor the condition of the bus and ensure it is safe to operate.
• Keep bus clean inside and out; sweep and mop floors, and clean windows to ensure good visibility.
• Write reports and prepare bus tickets regarding student discipline; prepare accident or injury reports; educate and conduct trials of bus evacuation.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS: 

• Knowledge of basic first aid procedures and methods
• Knowledge of safety and maintenance requirements of bus and other student transportation equipment
• Skill in working with children
• Skill in developing and maintaining effective working relationships
• Skill in both verbal and written communications
• Ability to pass physical
• Ability to maintain training certification that is intended to provide education and strategies for working with students who have documented emotional disabilities and those with significant behavioral and emotional needs. 
• Ability to demonstrate supportive, directive, nonviolent physical intervention and therapeutic rapport skills with students during time on the school bus.
• Ability to maintain Nonviolent Physical Crisis Intervention, CPR and First Aid certification

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Dangerous machinery and/or hazardous chemicals

Exposure to extreme weather conditions

Potential physical harm and verbal abuse

Highly exposed to body fluids, germs, poor personal hygiene

Potential exposure to infectious disease

Exposure to moving mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, fumes, odors, dusts, gases, poor ventilation, intense noise

PHYSICAL EFFORT:

Lift, move, or carry up to 125 pounds

Bend, stoop, climb, enter and exit bus by use of steps

CATEGORY: Classified

WORK YEAR: 193 Days

DEPARTMENT/SCHOOL: Transportation and Safety

GRADE: 32

REPORTS TO: Supervisor of Transportation and Safety

EVALUATION: Classified Personnel Evaluation

SUPERVISES: N/A