PAACT Paraprofessional Survey

PAACT

Parents Allied for Accountability, Conduct, and Transparency

Paraprofessional Voice Survey
Birmingham Public Schools Paraprofessional Survey
Anonymous  |  Summer 2026  |  All 13 schools

PAACT is a parent coalition with families from all 13 Birmingham Public Schools. Paraprofessionals sit closer to what happens in classrooms than almost anyone else in the building. You see the small moments that add up, and you see them across more classrooms than any single teacher does.

This survey is grounded in the Birmingham Compass Strategic Plan, the Code of Conduct, and the district's stated commitments to safe classrooms and strong instructional environments. We want to understand how close the day to day reality is to those commitments, in your words.

We are not here to evaluate any individual teacher, principal, or student. What you share will help PAACT understand what paraprofessionals see across the district and shape the round tables that come out of this work.

Your responses are anonymous. We do not collect your name, your email, or the name of your school. There is no sign in. Nothing you answer can be traced back to you.

This survey will not be reported on publicly. Nothing you share will appear on our website, in newsletters, or in any public document. What you tell us stays inside PAACT and informs the round tables.

The only way we will ever contact you is if you choose, at the very end, to share an email for the paraprofessional round table.

Before You Begin

Your Role in the Building

These help us understand what part of the district you see so we can report patterns accurately. All fields are required. Results are only ever reported at the district level.

Check every grade that applies. Many paras support more than one.

Please check at least one grade level.

Section One

What You See, Day to Day

Baseline observation. Frequency and type of what happens in the classrooms you support.

1On a typical school day, about how many behavior incidents do you observe that stop instruction for the class you are supporting?

2Of the behavior incidents you observe, how many involve physical actions such as throwing, hitting, kicking, biting, or property damage?

3How often, in a typical week, is a classroom cleared or evacuated because of one student's behavior?

4How often does behavior in another classroom affect the classroom you support (noise in the hall, students running through, staff being pulled to help)?

Section Two

How Behavior Moves Through a Classroom

You have a clearer view than most on how a single incident spreads. These ask what you see, not why.

5How often does general classroom behavior make it hard for students with IEPs or 504s to focus, participate, or access the learning?

6Do you observe patterns where one student's behavior triggers escalation in another student who was previously calm?

7Do behavior incidents cluster at particular times of day, activities, or transitions?

8What proportion of the behavior incidents you observe involve more than one student escalating together?

Section Three

Impact on Learning

The core question for PAACT. How does instruction survive the interruptions, and what does it cost the students you are assigned to support?

9In a typical week, about how much instructional time is lost to behavior interruptions in the classroom(s) you support?

10When you are pulled to respond to a behavior incident, what most often happens to the student(s) you were assigned to support?

11Have you observed students with IEPs missing services because staff, including you, were redirected to behavior response?

12Do you feel the students you support are getting the individualized instruction their IEPs specify?

Section Four

Support When Things Escalate

What happens when a classroom needs help. Systems, not people.

13When a support person is called for a behavior incident, how quickly do they typically arrive?

14Is there always someone in the building available to respond to a behavior emergency?

15Are there consistent expectations across classrooms for when to call for help, or does it vary widely?

Section Five

Documentation and Communication

Paras have direct visibility into whether incidents are captured on paper. The BPS Code of Conduct depends on documentation to function.

16When you witness a significant behavior incident, are you asked to document it in writing?

17When you do document an incident, do you know where that documentation goes and how it is used?

18Do you know how or by whom parents are informed of behavior incidents that happen in the classroom?

19Have you observed incidents you believe were significant that you do not believe were formally documented?

Section Six

What You See From Parents

Paras interact with parents in specific and important ways, at pickup, when incidents happen, at IEP meetings. Your vantage point on parent involvement matters here.

20How often do you interact with the parents of students you support?

21When a behavior concern about a student is raised with a parent, what response do you most often see?

22Do parents of the students you support seem to reinforce classroom and school expectations at home?

23When a significant incident happens, are parents typically accessible when the school tries to reach them?

24For students with IEPs or 504 plans you support, do parents seem engaged with their child's plan and services?

25Do you feel supported by parents in your role as a paraprofessional?

26What patterns do you notice in parent involvement that you think are affecting student behavior or classroom learning?

Open response. Please leave out student or family names.

Section Seven

What You See From Your Vantage Point

Paras see more classrooms than most people in the building. These questions ask what you notice, not what you think caused it.

27Do you observe differences in how similar behaviors are addressed depending on whether the student has an IEP or 504?

28Over the past few years, have you observed changes in the frequency or severity of classroom behavior?

29From your vantage point, what are the most common triggers for the behavior incidents you see?

Open response. Please leave out student names or identifying details.

Section Eight

Your Safety, Training, and Voice

Paraprofessional wellbeing rarely shows up in district data. These questions are for you.

30Have you been physically hurt on the job during the current school year?

31Over the past three years, have you been physically hurt on the job?

32Do you feel you have the training you need to respond safely to the behavior you encounter?

33Do you feel you have a voice in how behavior is handled in your building?

34Are you considering leaving the paraprofessional role because of workplace conditions?

Section Nine

In Your Own Words

These are optional. Please leave out any student names or identifying details.

35What is the single change you believe would most reduce behavior incidents in the classrooms you support?

36What resources or supports would make your job safer and more sustainable?

37What do you wish administrators, teachers, and parents understood about what you see every day?

38Is there anything else you want us to know that these questions did not ask?

Thank you.

Your voice matters here. What you shared will help PAACT understand the patterns paraprofessionals see across the district, and bring that to the conversations that shape what happens next.

Optional

Paraprofessional Round Table

PAACT is organizing small, informal paraprofessional round tables over the summer. They are off the record, no named notes, and no district staff present. If you would like to be contacted about the one for your area, share an email below.

This is the only part that is not anonymous, and it is entirely your choice. Emails are stored separately from survey answers.

If you leave these blank, your survey is complete and stays anonymous.

Thank you. You will hear from us when the round table for your area is scheduled.

Thank you for the time. PAACT exists to be a partner to the people who do this work, not a critic of them. Your voice makes the picture more accurate.

paact-birmingham.com  |  paact.birmingham@gmail.com