Elementary Special Education Teacher

Our School Mission:
To educate students to the highest academic and personal standards necessary for responsible, effective citizenship, and for the successful pursuit of higher education.​

Our School Vision:
To inspire, empower, educate, and enrich the lives of our youth. Our school will promote life-long learning and 21st-century workforce success. We will build resilient and intelligent children to grow and to be successful and productive members of our society. The Educational Program at Florida Palms Academy will set values based on peaceful co-existence with others. ​

Our School Core Beliefs:
At Florida Palms Academy, the child’s best interest is our only interest. We understand that not every child can achieve academic success in a traditional school environment. Many factors play a critical role in how a child develops in school and how they can learn. ​

Our School Culture:
The Educational Program at Florida Palms Academy creates a familial culture that embraces each child, discovers their unique strengths and weaknesses, and delivers a differentiated and custom-tailored instructional program to meet their specific learning needs- all this while nurturing each child, engaging them to fulfill his/her maximum potential, and bringing them a sense of love for learning. We take a child from their foundation, develop a comprehensive thought-derived blueprint, and build upon their foundation instilling inside them the notion that the sky is the limit because it is! ​

Our School Contribution:
The Educational Program at Florida Palms Academy has served hundreds of students with disabilities for over 30 years and offers a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in compliance with the federally mandated Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). ​

Our School Attributes:
A continuum of services and programs are available to meet the individual needs of students eligible for Special Education and related services, ages 5 through 14. This continuum of services is provided in a specialized and highly structured therapeutic day school program under the hospital/homebound designation conveniently housed within the residential treatment facility, Florida Palms Academy. All students are provided support and/or services as per their Individual Education Plan (IEP) that are based on each child’s unique needs, as related to their present levels of academic achievement and functional performance.​

Our School Licensure and Accreditation: Florida Palms Academy is fully licensed by the Agency for Health Care Administration and accredited by the Joint Commission. As part of a system-wide accreditation, The Educational Program at Florida Palms Academy is accredited through AdvancED, as a sponsored off-campus residential treatment program overseen by the Broward County Public School District, whereby students receive the same high standard quality education, as they would be attending any District school. ​

Our Educators:
All teachers are Highly Qualified (HQ) and certified under the Florida Department of Education and by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and hold professional subject area certifications in the areas they teach. Additionally, each teacher holds certification in Exceptional Student Education. ​

Our Therapeutic Classrooms:
Each classroom is equipped with technology to create 21st-century learning. Teachers incorporate this technology into the classroom setting to support more scientific research-based instructional technology-infused pedagogy. Therapeutic interventions and services are infused into the educational program providing all students with an integrated curriculum of academic, affective, and behavioral interventions. Students benefit from social, emotional, and behavioral support beyond the school day.

Special Educational Services Offered:
The Educational Program at Florida Palms Academy is specially equipped and committed to serving and handling children with disabilities. We work with children who have Special Education program eligibilities that include, but are not limited to Learning Disabled (LD), Emotional/Behavioral Disability (E/BD), Speech Impaired (SI), Language Impaired (LI), and Other Health Impaired (OHI). Moreover, for children with a speech or language impairment, Florida Palms Academy can work with children with Articulation Disorder, Voice Disorder, Fluency Disorder, or Language Disorder. Additionally, children with a physical impairment receive services for fine motor skills, gross motor skills, mobility skills, self-care skills, and sensory skills. Florida Palms Academy follows the adopted curriculum set forth under Broward County Public Schools to meet the Florida Standards learning and mastery requirements. Additionally, such services as counseling, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, language therapy, and art therapy are provided as related services as needed.

Educational Services for Non-Exceptional Student Education Students:
The Educational Program at Florida Palms Academy is also well equipped to work with children who are not Special Education students. While your child attends Florida Palms Academy, they will be placed under the Special Education umbrella through the Hospital/Homebound Program, even if they come to our school without membership in a Special Education Program. This provides your child with the unique ability to receive extensive academic and behavioral support. For children who enter Florida Palms Academy without a Special Education program designation, intensive support is in place to ensure the child’s specific needs are being met. ​

The SEDNET (Multiagency Network for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities) Referral Process: 
The Educational Program at Florida Palms Academy, through Broward County Public Schools, coordinates and arranges for children to be assessed by school psychologists, psychiatrists, speech/language pathologists, school social workers, and behavioral specialists to determine whether a child meets the criteria for program placement in an expedited manner through the SEDNET referral process. Students who are already in the Special Education program and demonstrate other program characteristics may also be considered for additional program placement through the Re-evaluation process. Through these processes, we can provide direct support and interventions to students, promote student motivation and engagement, conduct psychological, social, academic, and behavioral assessments, collect and interpret student and classroom data, provide crisis intervention, assess student emotional and behavioral needs, promote problem-solving, anger management, and conflict resolution, improve communication and social skills, provide individual and group counseling, reinforce positive coping skills and resilience, promote positive peer relationships, asses diverse learning needs, and support students from diverse cultural backgrounds. ​

Summer and Extended School Year Services:
For children who are enrolled in Florida Palms Academy during the summer, Extended School Year (ESY) Program services are available for all eligible students, giving students a leg up and a plan to maintain academic knowledge without experiencing regression. ​ Additional compensation is available to our teachers who work during ESY.

Educational Program Dismissal, Planning, and Support:
Your child means just as much to Florida Palms Academy, while they are here, as they do when they leave our program. Transitional education services are provided to assist students with transitioning back to their previous school setting. This may include a set of actions that support stepping down or stepping up in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

FPA is an equal-opportunity employer and seeks a passionate, talented, and dynamic special educator to work with our lower elementary school students. This candidate should hold a professional teaching, temporary certificate, statement of eligibility, or applied for a statement of eligibility issued by the Florida Department of Education and should have ESE K-12 certification (preferred). Other Special Education coverages are considered, and K-3, K-5, and K-6 Elementary Education certifications. Other academic coverage areas are considered. One or more years of teaching experience is preferred. Bachelor's degree required.