Mississippi High School Activities Association The place for high school sports in Mississippi Steps to be a Paraprofessional
Step 1: At the school level, you must by law have a Background Check through the school. Once the individual is cleared through the background check, then the following steps below need to be followed.
Step 2: The individual must acquire permission from the Principal or Athletic Director of the school.
The individual must take the two following courses to be a paraprofessional at the MHSAA level:
- Fundamentals of Coaching (at nfhslearn.com $75.00)
- Safety/First Aid (at nfhslearn.com $50.00 – American Red Cross First Aid Course)
Step 3: After completion of these two courses:
- The certificates of completion MUST be printed from the website
- A copy MUST be sent to MHSAA to accompany the individuals name to show proof of their eligibility.
- In lieu of the Fundamentals of Coaching and Safety/First Aid modules, the individual will have to show proof from a college transcript that the individual has taken these courses through a college.
Step 4: Once the individual has acquired permission and taken the courses above, the Principal or Athletic Director must submit in writing (email or letter) to MHSAA names of the individuals and the sport he/she will be assisting.
Step 5: Once approved by MHSAA, then at the school level the para-professional coaches must take and complete the following:
- A hands-on CPR training (locally)
- Concussion in Sports online at nfhslearn.com
- Sportsmanship online at http://www.nfhslearn.com
Step 6: All para-professional coaches must be approved for hire by their local school board.
NOTE: Paraprofessional’s MUST RECERTIFY EVERY 5 YEARS on the Safety/First Aid course. The date starts from the completion of last certification date of the Safety/First Aid course.
