Position:                   Substitute Occupational Therapy Assistant        

Term:                        Substitute                   

Classification:           Classified  

Location:                    District Wide   

Supervisory:              No

Reports to:                Assistant Director of Special Education

Code:                         001-2162-6150-0855-12210-3-000

Position #:                2425

If you are a positive and confident Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant looking for a dynamic career opportunity with an innovative and highly respected educational organization, join the Joplin School district! We are seeking a self-motivated and friendly COTA to provide services to students throughout our district. You will follow IEP plans for students with disabilities in accordance with state and federal regulations. As a Substitute COTA with Joplin, you must possess excellent written communication skills, to implement IEPs and document student progress on goals. Communication is essential to facilitate collaboration with fellow educators, administrators and parents. You also must be able to work independently and be accountable for your work.

Qualifications:

• An Associate degree or OTA certificate from an Occupational Therapy Assistant Program which is approved and accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
• Pass the certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT)
• Must hold a current Missouri license.

Additional requirements for the COTA include:

• Hold and maintain current COTA licensure

• No school experience is required but must have experience through clinical externships through the educational program attended

• Ability to assess, analyze and remediate areas identified under the direction of the supervising Occupational Therapist and IEP team.

• Wide knowledge base incorporating evidence-based practices
• Ability to drive to various school building locations based on your caseload

General Expectations

• Supports the mission of Joplin Schools.

• Supports the value of education.

• Become familiar with, enforce, and follow all applicable Board policies and regulations, administrative procedures, other directions given by district administrators and supervisors, and state and federal laws.

• Properly supervise students at all times, if applicable to essential job functions.

• Obey all safety rules, including rules protecting the safety and welfare of students.

• Care for, properly use, and protect school property.

• Maintain courteous and professional relationships with students, parents/guardians, other district employees and the public.

• Communicate effectively with supervisors, department staff, all members of the school district, and community as required. 

• Provides excellence in customer service both internally and externally.

• Complies with privacy rights and safeguards confidential and/or sensitive information pertaining to staff and students.

• Reacts to change productively and receive and transmit constructive criticism as it relates to job duties.

• Actively participate in professional development and obtain skills and information necessary to effectively perform job duties.

• Conduct all official business in a professional and timely manner, utilizing district technology resources.

• Arrive to work and leave work at the time specified by supervisors and attend all required meetings pertinent to the position.

• Maintains accurate records and filing systems for accountability and audit purposes as required by law and Board policy.

• Solve practical problems utilizing math functions as needed to complete job duties. 

• Read and interpret documents such as work orders, safety rules, and handbooks and apply to job duties. 

Essential Functions:

An individual who holds this position is required to:

• Provide instruction to students
• Support student behavior needs
• Implement therapy as directed by the supervising Occupational Therapist

• Maintain accurate student records of therapy sessions and goal progress data
• Complete and submit forms and required reports in a timely manner

• Implement special educational plans such as 504 plans, individual educational programs and individual health plans

• Report suspected abuse, neglect, discrimination and harassments as directed by Board policy

Supervisory Duties

Supervise students at all times

Physical Demands

An individual who holds this position must have the ability to:

• Speak and hear in an environment where numerous conversations and activities may be taking place simultaneously

• Move around the classroom

• Read handwritten or printed material

• Implement positive behavior support plans

Attendance

Regular and consistent attendance is an essential function of this position. 

The work conditions and environment described here are representative of those that an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Conditions and Environment

The individual who holds this position will regularly work in a school environment that is noisy and active.  Occasionally the individual will be required to work outdoors for short periods of time to perform such tasks as loading and unloading students from district transportation and supervising recess.

Note:  The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees, and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.  Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.