A paraprofessional is any person assigned by the School Board to assist an instructional staff member in performing his / her instructional or professional duties or responsibilities. A paraprofessional has additional responsibilities consistent with the requirements of the Federal No Child Left Behind Act.

I. The conditions of employment of a paraprofessional shall be governed by Board policy and shall include the following:

A. A paraprofessional shall have a high school diploma or hold a high school equivalency diploma issued pursuant to State Board of Education rules.

B. A paraprofessional shall meet one of the following requirements:

i. Hold an associate’s or higher degree;

ii. Completed two (2) years of study at an institution of higher education; or

iii. A rigorous state or local assessment of knowledge of and the ability to assist in instruction in reading, writing, and mathematics or reading readiness, writing readiness, or mathematics readiness.

C. Be at least eighteen (18) years of age.

D. Present a complete set of fingerprints taken by a law enforcement agency or properly trained district personnel and the appropriate processing fee. The fingerprints shall be acceptable for processing by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Director of Human Resources or designee shall initiate a records check by the two (2) agencies.

E. A drug test shall be required of all non-instructional applicants recommended for hire and shall be administered by the Board approved testing laboratory.

II. The principal shall assure that the paraprofessional assigned to the school possesses a clear understanding of State and District rules relating to paraprofessional responsibilities and to the safety, welfare, and health of students. It shall be the principal and the instructional staff member’s responsibility to ascertain that a paraprofessional possesses the necessary knowledge about rules to perform duties of a special nature in a proper and reasonable manner.

III. It shall be the principal’s responsibility to assure the School Board and the Superintendent that each paraprofessional possesses a clear understanding of all state and district instructional practices and rules relevant to a paraprofessional’s responsibilities if he/she is expected to assist a teacher in promoting learning activities. When a paraprofessional is assigned duties requiring knowledge of instructional practices and policies or providing prescribed physical care for students of a specialized nature, it is the instructional staff member’s responsibility to ascertain in advance whether the paraprofessional possesses the necessary knowledge and skills.

IV. The paraprofessional shall complete a period of supervised practice when assigned to a new instructional staff member or assigned a type of duty which he / she has not previously performed. The length of such supervised practice may vary depending upon previous experiences of the paraprofessional. A record shall be maintained in each school to show the length, nature, and inclusive dates of each supervised practice assignment for each paraprofessional.

V. An education paraprofessional may administer or proctor statewide standardized assessments or assessments associated with Florida approved courses in accordance with Florida Statutes and State Board of Education rules. Paraprofessionals must complete required training prior to performing these tasks.

VI. A paraprofessional shall not perform any of the following:

A. Establish instructional objectives;

B. Render decisions regarding the relevancy of certain activities or procedures to achieve instructional objectives;

C. Make decisions regarding the appropriateness of training materials for accomplishing instructional objectives; and,

D. Evaluate a student’s attainment of instructional objectives unless clear and objective criteria such as a specific achievement standard on an objective test are defined.

VIII. The principal and instructional staff members who are assigned paraprofessional shall be responsible for assigning duties to paraprofessionals which are consistent with Florida Statutes, State Board of Education rules, and school board rules.