Solon Schools Parent Mentor Program

  • Our Solon Parent Mentor is Joanna Innes. Joanna is a parent to a child with special needs. She uses her first-hand experience to help work with school officials and guide families to increase the educational success of students who may receive special education services. The parent mentor is a free service, provided through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Joanna can be reached at joannainnes@solonboe.org or 440-349-8039.

    What Does the Parent Mentor Do?

    • Acts as a liaison between parents/guardians and the school
    • Guides families and helps them understand their rights and responsibilities through the entire special education process
    • Provides confidential support for concerns and questions
    • Supplies information on special education services, policies and procedures
    • Links parents/guardians to local resources, providers and other parents/caregivers for support
    • Explains the Individual Education Plan (IEP)/504 process and can attend team meetings if requested
    • Provides a lending library of materials to assist parents/guardians and professionals
    • Works cooperatively with Solon's Organized Parent Education Network (OPEN) to provide presentations, parent workshops and parent networking meetings 
    • Publishes information in PTA newsletters highlighting special education topics as well as on the OPEN Facebook page

     

    Why Do We Need A Parent Mentor?

    DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT . . .

    • Your child and special education services?
    • State and federal laws regarding students with disabilities?
    • The assessment process and how a student is identified for special education services?
    • The (IEP) Individual Education Plan and how are parents involved in its development?

    DO YOU WANT . . .

    • Information about special education resources?
    • Information about specific disabilities?
    • Information about OPEN (Organized Parent Education Network)?
    • Information about parent educational workshops?

    DO YOU NEED . . .

    • To talk to a parent experienced in the special education process?
    • Someone to accompany you to parent/teacher meetings?

    For More Information About Special Education Services including:

    • Testing, IEP development and information
    • The special education programs available in Solon Schools
    • Parent Workshops
    • OPEN

    CONTACT: Joanna Innes, Solon Parent Mentor Coordinator, at 349-8039 or joannainnes@solonboe.org

     

    HELPFUL LINKS TO HELP GUIDE YOU IN SPECIAL EDUCATION:

     

    THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCESS:

    https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Special-Education/Families-of-Students-with-Disabilities/Sections/Section-1/Evaluation-Roadmap.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US

     

    A GUIDE TO PARENT RIGHTS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION:

    https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Special-Education/A-Guide-to-Parent-Rights-in-Special-Education

     

    13 CATEGORIES OF SPECIAL EDUCATION:

    https://parentmentor.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/13_types.pdf

     

    SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON EACH DISABILITY FROM THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:

    https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Special-Education/Students-with-Disabilities

     

    ALPHABET SOUP: A Guide to Disability Education-Related Acronyms:

    https://ddc.ohio.gov/Resource-Library/Publications/Alphabet-Soup-A-Guide-to-Disability-Related-Acronyms

     

    For more information about OPEN (Organized Parent Education Network), please click here: https://www.solonschools.org/domain/493

     

    For support, please join the OPEN Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1760332334086455