Release Date: August 18, 2026 Application Deadline: September 1, 2026
Requisition: 12464
Current benefited staff of SMCPS who submit a timely application and meet the minimum qualifications for the position shall be granted an interview and shall be considered to fill the vacancy prior to external applicants being considered. Questions regarding your application and/or candidacy should be directed to the Department of Human Resources.
Position: Behavior Specialist Student Services and Special Education (Grant Funded)
Location: Department of Special Education
Salary: The salary for this EXEMPT position will be based on EASMC Non-Teaching Specialist career ladder for ten-month employees. ($67,106-$117,670)
Effective: September 2026
APPLICATION PROCEDURES:
Qualified applicants, including current employees of St. Mary''s County Public Schools, must complete a TalentEd online application. In addition to the online application, any supporting documentation (unofficial transcript and/or copy of the certification, where applicable) must be scanned and uploaded to the TalentEd application. The online application and any support documentation must clearly demonstrate that the applicant meets the minimum qualifications, including information about the applicant's background, experience, and professional qualifications. Failure to submit all required documentation will result in your application being considered incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be forwarded to the selection committee for review. All online applications must be completed no later than September 1, 2026. Following a screening of credentials, interviews will be scheduled. Please contact the Department of Human Resources with questions. (301-475-5511, ext. 32187)
NATURE OF WORK:
This is a professional position to meet the individual needs of students through direct service and consultative support to staff and families to support academic and social/emotional.
The ten-month behavior specialist assists school staff in developing and implementing individual behavior programs for students, with or without disabilities, who present with a variety of behavior challenges. The goal of this position is to support at-risk students in the development of appropriate social skills and classroom behavior, thereby increasing their opportunity for academic success and decreasing the number of students who require more restrictive services.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Ability to professionally relate to and collaborate with co-workers, students, and community members
- Ability to understand and maintain confidentiality
- Ability to use technology effectively to complete tasks
- Ability to report to work daily and on time
- Ability to organize, supervise, coordinate, and establish priorities of tasks to be completed
- Ability to work independently in the absence of detailed instructions and to follow complex oral and/or written instructions
- Ability to communicate orally or in writing, courteously and tactfully, with staff, students, parents, and the community in a timely manner
- Possess excellent time management skills and the ability to take initiative and make decisions within assigned responsibility in a challenging, fast-paced professional environment and be flexible in work responsibilities and hours
- Possess knowledge of the programs, policies, and procedures of the St. Mary's County Public School
- Possess a valid driver's license with the ability to travel independently between school sites
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Assists school staff in developing, implementing, and monitoring student behavior plans
- Provide system-wide staff development on behavior strategies and intervention plans
- Collaborates with a wide range of staff to attain positive outcomes on behalf of behaviorally challenged students and their families
- Analyzes student behavior and identify appropriate strategies to increase academic success
- Participate as a member of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams to assist in planning for interventions to be implemented with students who present with challenging behaviors
- Understands the needs of a diverse population of students
- Addresses issues related to disproportionality across the continuum of services (provision of preventative services prior to referral to Special Education and more restrictive environments within the Special Education continuum of services)
BEHAVIOR SPECIALIST STUDENT SERVICES AND SPECIAL EDUCATION
- Models implementation of behavior strategies in classroom settings
- Monitors the implementation of behavior plans and student progress
- Provides behavioral coaching for individual students throughout the implementation phase of intervention
- Facilitates the inclusion of families in the development and implementation of behavior plans with an emphasis on family system issues
- Assists teachers, PST, and IEP teams in developing, monitoring, and revising Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP), and Individualized Education Programs (IEP)
- Assists teachers in implementing effective classroom management systems
- Monitors student progress and assists teachers in the maintenance and evaluation of data collection systems
- Collaborates with general and special education teachers and administrative staff in an effort to provide proactive and preventative interventions for students in general and Special Education, who present with behavioral challenges
- Participates as a member of the S.E.C.R. team to assist with the assessment of the needs of behaviorally challenged students throughout the county
- Collaborates with community agency staff to assist students, families, and school staff in the development of a comprehensive approach to behavioral challenges presented by students in general and Special Education
- Assists students, families, and staff with the transition needs of students with behavioral challenges within general education settings, and to more restrictive educational settings within Special Education environments
- Performs other related and non-related job duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS:
Required:
- Master's degree in special education, Counseling, Social Work, or a related field
- Three (3) years of experience in developing and/or implementing behavior intervention and support for children and adolescents in a school environment
Preferred:
- The application should have at least one of the specified licenses (BCBA, BCaBA, LMSW, LCSW-C, or LCPC) through the Maryland Department of Health or hold MSDE School Social Worker Licensure.
TERM OF EMPLOYMENT:
Full-time ten-month position
SALARY GRADE RANGE: The salary for this EXEMPT position will be based on EASMC Non-Teaching Specialist career ladder for ten-month employees.
BARGAINING UNIT ELIGIBILITY: EASMC
Updated 04.2025, 07.2024, 08.2026