LEAD Parent Program 

Leadership Education & Advocacy Development 
Empowered Parents:Educated,Engaged, Effective! 


LEAD Parent TEN COMMENDMENTS 

1. 
Always be willing to admit when you do not have an answer. Say you will check with 
The Council staff and get back with the person/parent. 
2. 
Do not give out incorrect or misleading information. 
3. 
Be clear about what your role as a LEAD Parent is and with what issues you are able to 
help with. 
4. 
Try to connect parents to other parent groups, services, supports, and resources. 
5. 
Treat all information with confidentiality. Discuss identifiable information only with The 
Council staff. 
6. 
Always obtain parent permission before talking with school staff or any other 
professional, and tell parent what information you will be discussing. 
7. 
Try to determine the parent's primary concern and be sure to address it,even if it is 
different from what you believe or have chosen for your own child. 
8. 
Stress the importance of documenting everything and encourage parents to keep paper 
trails. Put all correspondence in writing and keep copies. Suggest parents keep a file for 
all of their child's educational documents and copies of any written correspondence 
between them and the school. 
9. 
Remember that The Council's role is to empower parents to be educated advocates for 
their own child. Talk parents through the issues and explain the process so they are 
capable of doing it themselves. Provide them with the needed information and suggest 
they being documentation and records to school meetings. If the school and parents can't 
come to an agreement, then encourage the parents to call you back and discuss the issues 
further. 
10.The 
role of the advocate/LEAD Parent is to help parents clarify the issues, explore their 
options, and develop a plan of action. Remind parents that there is a process they should 
follow. 

(Adapted from PARENT ADVOCATE ORIENTATION PACKET by DebbieCarlson 
@1999 by PACER CENTER,8161Normandale Bvl d.,Mnpls,MN 
55437