School Committee Presented With Paraprofessional Review

Paraprofessionals provide classroom support to students that need a little extra assistance.

The District Management Council conducted a review of these personnel and presented their findings to the New Bedford School Committee Monday night.

After reviewing the presentation, Supt. Dr. Pia Durkin suggested dedicating some paraprofessionals to schools to provide general assistance.

The report also pointed out a large number of paraprofessionals currently in the school district do not meet state certification criteria. Supt. Durkin plans to address that issue by providing more training or replacing them with properly qualified candidates.

Several recommendations focused on establishing clear roles and responsibilities for personnel and implementing better screening measures to determine what level of assistance a student requires.

The goal is to focus more on student needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.