Lehighton Area School District’s board of directors is considering the creation of a behavioral technician position to support students with behavioral challenges in middle school.

The district leadership, along with middle school staff, is seeking ways to address the increasing demand for emotional support services within the school, Sandra Michalik, LASD director of student services, said Monday night.

The proposed technician position would provide specialized support, helping the district keep more students in their home schools rather than referring them to external placements.

“This is more about what we’re doing about individual behaviors and how we are reducing them so that we’re not automatically going to a BHA placement or an IU program,” Michalik said.

This new role would be funded initially by a grant, thanks to collaboration with Assistant to the Superintendent Mary Figura, who explored grant opportunities.

“Mrs. Figura was very clever to look at some grants and to attribute this position initially to a grant, so that we can start it and then gather data and look at the success of the program and how it’s saving money for the district,” Michalik said.

According to the job description, the behavioral technician would be responsible for observing, analyzing and interpreting students’ behaviors, as well as implementing evidence-based strategies tailored to each student’s needs. They would work collaboratively with other school staff to provide interventions that promote positive behaviors and social skills.

The goal, Michalik said, is to “identify the etiology of those behaviors and know exactly how to extinguish those behaviors,” preventing the need for more intensive placements by managing behaviors on-site and bringing some students back from out-of-district placements.

Board members expressed support for the plan, noting the potential financial benefits of the position.

“We bring back more students and then it saves money so it can pay for itself,” board President Jeremy Glaush said.

While funded initially by a grant, the board highlighted that the role’s continuation will depend on the availability of future funding.

The district aims to vote on the proposal at its next meeting. If approved, the behavioral technician would work under the supervision of the building principal and director of student services, focusing on students’ transition from more restrictive settings and their overall success within the school environment.