Progam Lead for Rose City Therapeutic Programs

Job Description

PROGRAM LEAD FOR ROSE CITY THERAPEUTIC PROGRAMS (1 FTE / .2 of which is Admin)

Qualifications:

• Appropriate Connecticut Certification Required (Special Education, School Psychology, School Social Work, or related field).
  
• Connecticut 092 Intermediate Administrator and Supervisor certification required.
  
• Experience working with students with social, emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs required.
  
• Knowledge of trauma-informed practices, behavioral interventions, therapeutic programming, and crisis prevention/de-escalation strategies.
  
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams, families, and community providers.
  
• Strong organizational, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.

Reports to: Director of Student Services and Special Education and Assistant Director of Student Services and Special Programs

Location(s): Rose City Therapeutic Program and School Resilience Program

General Description: The Rose City Therapeutic Programs Lead provides leadership, coordination, supervision, and operational support for the Rose City Therapeutic Program (RCS) and the School Resilience Program (SRP). This position combines direct service responsibilities with embedded program leadership and administrative support responsibilities to assist in maintaining safe, therapeutic, trauma-informed educational environments for students with significant social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs.

The position supports the implementation of therapeutic programming, behavioral and mental health interventions, classroom systems, crisis response, reintegration planning, family engagement, staff coaching, and community collaboration. The role includes embedded leadership responsibilities intended to support daily program operations, staff supervision and support, student safety, classroom continuity, and implementation fidelity across therapeutic and resilience-based programming.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Leadership and Operational Support

• Provide day-to-day leadership and operational support for the Rose City Therapeutic Program and School Resilience Program.
  
• Assist with maintaining safe, structured, trauma-informed, and therapeutic learning environments across program settings.
  
• Support implementation fidelity of therapeutic and behavioral programming, including trauma-informed practices, social-emotional learning systems, classroom reinforcement systems, and de-escalation strategies.
  
• Assist with scheduling, coordination of programming, staff assignments, and daily operational needs.
  
• Support classroom and program coverage as needed to ensure continuity of services during staff absences, crises, or periods of increased student need.
  
• Participate in problem-solving and decision-making related to student programming, safety concerns, behavioral crises, transportation issues, attendance concerns, and program operations.

Staff Supervision and Coaching

• Provide support, coaching, and guidance to therapeutic program staff, including teachers, social workers, psychologists, coaches, paraprofessionals, and related service providers.
  
• Evaluate all RCS and SRP Faculty and Staff.
  
• Assist in the supervision and coordination of staff assignments and programming responsibilities.
  
• Support onboarding and ongoing training of staff related to trauma-informed practices, behavioral programming, de-escalation strategies, restorative practices, and therapeutic interventions.
  
• Model and reinforce effective implementation of behavioral supports, reinforcement systems, self-regulation strategies, and crisis response procedures.
  
• Participate in regular staff collaboration meetings and interdisciplinary team problem-solving.

Therapeutic and Behavioral Programming

• Support implementation of therapeutic interventions, behavioral programming, resilience-building strategies, and social-emotional supports aligned with student IEPs and individualized needs.
  
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams regarding Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs), Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), safety plans, counseling supports, and reintegration planning.
  
• Assist staff in implementing individualized behavior support plans and therapeutic interventions with consistency and fidelity.
  
• Support students during behavioral escalations, crises, and reintegration processes following dysregulation or therapeutic separation from the learning environment.
  
• Assist in monitoring and reviewing student behavioral, attendance, engagement, and intervention data to support programming decisions.

School Resilience Program Responsibilities

• Support students experiencing barriers to school attendance, engagement, and participation due to social, emotional, behavioral, family, or mental health challenges.
  
• Assist with implementation of individualized resilience and attendance support plans.
  
• Collaborate with families and school teams to support reintegration into school programming and improve student engagement.
  
• Participate in home visits, family outreach, and collaboration with outside providers and community agencies as appropriate.
  
• Support transitional, hybrid, and community-based learning opportunities for students participating in the School Resilience Program.

Collaboration and Communication

• Collaborate with administrators, teachers, social workers, psychologists, related service providers, families, and community agencies regarding student programming and support needs.
  
• Participate in PPT meetings, program planning meetings, crisis response meetings, and interdisciplinary team collaboration.
  
• Maintain ongoing communication with families regarding student progress, behavioral supports, attendance concerns, and program needs.
  
• Assist with the development and maintenance of program procedures, protocols, schedules, and operational systems.

Physical Abilities and Working Conditions/Environment:

The Physical Abilities and Other Conditions of Employment listed in this section are representative of, but are not intended to provide an exhaustive list of Physical Abilities and Other Conditions of Employment that may be required of positions in this class. Norwich Public School District encourages persons with disabilities who are interested in employment in this class and need reasonable accommodation of those disabilities to contact the Human Resources Department for further information.

• Ability to respond to student behavioral and safety needs, including crises.
  
• Ability to move throughout school and community-based settings as required.
  
• Ability to participate in physical components of crisis prevention and intervention training as required by district programming.
  
• Safety Care Basic and Advanced Training preferred
  
• Performing the job duties of this position requires the following physical demands: reaching, some lifting, standing, walking, carrying, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, sitting, and/or crawling.
  
• Move small stacks of textbooks, media equipment, desks, and other classroom equipment
  
• Occasional exposure to sun, heat, cold, and inclement weather

Terms of Employment: This position is an NTL bargaining unit position that follows the contractual teacher workday and work year. In addition to those contractual obligations, the position requires twenty (20) additional workdays annually to perform administrator/coordinator duties. Compensation for these additional responsibilities shall be provided through an annual stipend of $10,000.

Evaluation: Performance of this job will be evaluated in accordance with provisions of the Board's policy on evaluation of support services.