BOARDMAN — The Boardman Local School District has been awarded a $25,000 Ohio’s Parent Mentor Project Grant from the Ohio Department of Education.

This grant allows the school district to hire a part-time parent mentor to provide free support and resources to families of children with disabilities.

“This is a great opportunity to provide more assistance to our families while offering a part-time position to a parent who may not want to commit to full-time work,” said Katie Fallo, director of student services. “Parent mentors can use their experience and knowledge to help others — it’s a natural fit.”

Parent mentors must reside in the Boardman school district, and must have a child with a disability who was, or is serviced through an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Parent mentor duties may include:

• Attending IEP meetings at the request of families.

• Hosting informational sessions for families.

• Connecting families with local service organizations.

• Providing information to families about federal, state, and local special education law and policies.

• Sharing special education updates with relevant stakeholders.

For more information, or to apply to be Boardman’s parent mentor, contact Fallo at katie. fallo@boardmanschools.org.