Murfreesboro City Schools

Educational Assistant (EA)

Special Education Department

Revised on 06/24/2021

Credentials: Special Education Assistants and Mid-Day Assistants shall have, at a minimum, a high schools diploma or a GED® equivalent and shall show demonstrable proficiency in reading and writing skills.

Other Qualifications: Must work cooperatively with adults and children. Must follow directions. Must read and write sufficiently for assisting children. Must protect confidentiality rights of parents and children. Must model appropriate grammar usage. Must support safety and good self-esteem in children. Must be punctual and regular in attendance. Experience with groups of children may be helpful but not required. Light clerical skills may be helpful but not required. Employment is contingent upon the passing of a physical abilities test.

Physical Demands: Must be able to see, hear and move quickly enough to provide for the safety and instructional needs of children. Must be able to articulate clearly. Must be physically active and interactive throughout the school day (i.e., be able to stand for extended periods of time, stoop, bend, do light lifting, push, pull, step and have good finger dexterity, etc.). Must have emotional coping skills appropriate for the management of student behavior. Must tolerate environmental smells and substances commonly associated with children and educational institutions. The person in this position may be exposed to bodily fluids and therefore need to use universal precautions. Must be able to lift students and attend to the personal needs of children while in school, including toileting.

Essential Job Functions: The Educational Assistant and Mid-day Assistant are required to assist in a variety of specific assignments which contribute to the effectiveness of the special education instructional program; to assist the special education teacher in conducting activities for special education children; to attend to the personal needs of special education children. Other job functions include:

1. Assist in the preparation and maintenance of instructional materials and activities.
2. Assist with direct instruction (i.e., reading stories, tutoring, administering assessments, implementing teacher plans).
3. Assist with record keeping.
4. Assist children with personal physical needs, including toileting.
5. Perform light clerical skills (i.e., typing, filing, data processing, operating a copy machine).
6. Operate audio-visual equipment (i.e., VCR, TV, recorder).
7. Grade papers.
8. Monitor large groups of children (i.e., cafeteria, bus room).
9. Prepare bulletin boards.
10. Assist in the office.
11. Assists children in eating.
12. Serves meals and refreshments to children.
13. Helps children to walk, board buses, put on prosthetic appliances, dress and perform other physical activities as their needs require.
14. Maintains discipline.
15. Wheels children to classes, lunchroom, treatment rooms and other areas of the building.

Staff Relationship: Reports directly to the School Principal

Terms of Employment: Full-time Educational Assistants work on the days that teachers work at their school. Salary and benefits set by Board. Non-exempt. Part-time Mid-Day Assistants work a maximum 4 hours per day, only on days children attend school, no benefits, and hourly rate set by Board. Non-exempt.