Regional Director of Special Education - Columbus

Job title Regional Director of Student Services Classification Exempt Reports to Director of Student Services Organization Unit Support Approved by Human Resources Effective date 5/15/2025
Job Purpose
The Regional Director of Student Services provides leadership, management, and oversight to the special education program, ESL, title, and intervention at several campuses and serves as a critical member of the special education leadership team. This role requires a deep understanding of federal and state regulations, best practices in special education, and a commitment to ensuring that all students receive a high quality education.

Duties and Responsibilities
Include but not limited to:

Program Development & Leadership

• Oversee, and assist with, the writing of high quality ETR's, IEP's, and IAT reports, consistent with state, federal, Performance Academies, OCCS, and ODE guidelines.
• Oversee procurement of all appropriate signatures for IAT reports, evaluation consents, ETR's, IEP's, or other documents requiring "team" signatures, and/or parent/guardian signatures.
• Maintain accurate state reporting (EMIS) data for each school in assigned region and forward DCF's to EMIS Coordinator in a timely manner to be processed in accordance with all state or school imposed deadlines.
• Include the general education teacher(s), Principal, and other appropriate professionals routinely in IAT, ETR, and IEP meetings as appropriate or necessary; collaborate with intervention specialists, general education teachers, and other professionals as appropriate in the writing of ETR's, IEP's and other documents, as needed.
• Help prepare all required reports for OCCS reps, as well as be on-site and available for all OCCS site visits or other audits related to special education.
• Implement the State of Ohio Model Policies and Practices for Students with Disabilities to the fullest extent possible.
• Adhere to all federal and state compliance timelines and requirements.
• Keep all student identifying information confidential and keep all parent and student correspondences and communications confidential at all times. Ensure compliance with HIPAA and FERPA.
• Maintain electronic special education files, all documents present, all signatures evident, at all times - this includes, but is not necessarily limited to IAT reports, ETR's, IEP's, PR-01's, DCF's, parent correspondences, observations, and additional professional reports.
• Coordinate communication between the Special Education staff and Principal in each PA school in the assigned region in regard to compliance and individual student needs.
• Review, monitor, and support the development and implementation of a Functional Behavior Analysis and Behavior Intervention Plan for individual students.
• Review medical files in regard to special education documentation (quantitative and qualitative review).
• Attend IAT, ETR, and IEP meetings, as needed, to provide support.
• Provide leadership, supervision, guidance, and support for the English Language Learners (ELL) Program. Monitor the overall effectiveness of the program to ensure that all state and federal guidelines are implemented according to regulations outlined in No Child Left Behind.
• Support and coach staff on the 3 Tier RTI process, work collaboratively with administrators, school psychologists, academic coaches, special education teachers, Title staff, classroom teachers, parents, and staff to design, implement, and monitor interventions to help students achieve their full potential in academics, behavior, and social-emotional development.
• Partner and collaborate with the School Psychologist during the IAT, RTI, intervention, and ETR process to ensure the needs of all students are being met.
• Partner and collaborate with the Counseling team to ensure the behavioral and social-emotional well-being of all students.
• Lead weekly student services meetings in each assigned school building.
• Support district and state testing, including but not limited to Ohio's State Test, AASCD, and OELPA, by overseeing the testing schedule and participating in providing accommodations for special education students.

Staff Supervision & Development

• Observe special education staff during intervention and provide feedback in regard to quality of interventions, schedule maintenance, and compliance with weekly progress notes/documentation.
• Review special education lesson plans and provide feedback to staff.
• Provide staff consultation in reference to behavior and academic needs of students.
• Regularly conducts formal evaluations and walkthroughs for all student services staff, as well as provides feedback to those being formally evaluated by given deadline.
• Prepare for, plan, and present at professional development and in-services for teachers and student services staff.
• Assist with the interviewing and hiring process for student services staff.
• Stays current on and understands all policies outlined in staff handbook and student handbook/code of conduct.

Student Support

• Report any and all cases of suspected child abuse or neglect immediately to the Principal, Regional Superintendent, Children's Services, and local law enforcement.
• Advocate for students with special needs within the school and community.
• Collaborate with outside agencies to provide additional support services as needed.

Parent/Community Engagement

• Work to the fullest extent possible to always include parents/guardians in all educational decision making pertaining to their child; ensure they are active participants in the IAT, ETR, and IEP processes.
• Establish a network of support with all stakeholders to create shared responsibility for student and school success.
• Create strong relationships with parents beyond managing escalated issues by actively communicating directly with families.
• Connect students and families to the health, human and social services they need to stay focused on learning.
• Provide parent support as needed for students with special needs.
• Attend all board meetings and give reports at Board meetings as required.
• Other duties as assigned by the Chief of Staff, Chief Academic Officer, and Chief Operating Officer and CEO.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required, Master's Degree preferred
• Satisfactory completion of federal and state required criminal history checks
• At least 5 years of successful teaching experience
• Stays current on and understands all federal and state special education policies and laws.
• Experience with data analysis
• Proficient in computer applications, including Google Docs, MS Office Suite, e-mail, and internet

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Personal Characteristics

• Strong ability to lead staff effectively, communicating the mission of the school.
• The ability to motivate, develop and direct people.
• Reliable, dependable, and trustworthy work ethic; a strong sense of integrity.
• Strong ability to gather, analyze, and interpret student data to make sound educational decisions.
• Ability to work in a diverse educational community setting.
• Understand the community and student demographics. The ideal candidate has strong, positive local connections and the ability to develop new ones.
• Understand state testing as well as state teaching standards.
• Exhibit sound judgment while exhibiting flexibility regarding decision-making, daily challenges, and job duties.
• Ability to manage and communicate with difficult or emotional students, staff, parents, board members, and community members
• Ability to work well under pressure, and effectively prioritize and execute tasks to meet deadlines consistently.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to be an active listener and critical thinker and make sound judgments.

Working Conditions

• Ability to travel
  • All in-person professional development opportunities must be attended in person
• Dexterity to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and to handle other computer and other technology related components
• Management and interaction with students, staff, parents, school board, sponsors, and community members
• In-person and on-site at campus and community locations
• Two weeks off (10 business days) during the schools' summer break, subject to approval by the President

This is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.