Dr. Jaimee Kidder saw an opportunity in the COVID-19 crisis. Dr. Kidder put together a plan to capitalize on a crisis by putting together an intensive behavior training course that was run live during the school dismissal. Park City School District staff, including all special education paraprofessionals, and all after-school personnel participated in a comprehensive, 40-hour formal course covering all of the material to certify Registered Behavior Technicians.
During the six weeks of class, over 120 participants learned a wide variety of skills and concepts, such as how to provide effective reinforcement, how to select and teach replacement behaviors, and how to collect data to monitor progress and make better decisions. Participants expressed that the class was enjoyable and highly relevant to their needs, and that they were thankful to have the opportunity for extensive training and practice in behavioral strategies. Once school resumes, additional coaching and mentoring will be provided to Park City School District participants who support students with challenging behavior to help them apply what they’ve learned in a hands-on context.
Critical components included the principles, interventions, and problem-solving strategies to address the needs of students with challenging behaviors. Dr. Kidder generously opened up the course to Tooele, Salt Lake, Canyons, and Provo school districts’ special education departments and another 30 participants were able to join at no cost.
Lexy Levy, a junior at Park City High who is active in our Transition Program, has landed her first job at the Park City School District Child Care Center.
This year, the Special Education Department has expanded its investment in inclusion for all students by creating a Tier 3 behavior team. Team members include our BCBA, SPED inclusion specialist, and four behavior technicians. Behavior techs are specialized ESPs who receive intensive training and supervision in behavior analysis. For our students with behavior intervention plans (BIPs) and the most significant behavior concerns, behavior techs work alongside the rest of the team, first to intervene directly with the student and help get the BIP up and running, and then to coach team members in how to implement the plan with fidelity.
Park City School District is student-centered with a focus and emphasis on the whole child. Park City’s mission is to have all of our students are be safe, supported, engaged, challenged, and healthy. In an effort to support that district mission, the Special Education Department has adopted a research based social/emotional curriculum to support our students with disabilities who face challenges that are beyond those that a neurotypical peer may face.
The first days of school this year were a bit different for a group of high school students. While most were becoming accustomed to classroom routines, the new Transition Program for Park City High students participated in an app-based scavenger hunt via Park City Transit. As part of the hunt, they had to locate all the community businesses and organizations they will frequent this year in the community-based program.
