About IEP Support Services, LLC Consultants
IEP Support Services, LLC provides coaching, preparation, and support to parents and guardians at IEP meetings. Karen Antone has over 18 years of experience attending meetings with families and for and with her own children. Karen has found that attending meetings with families has overwhelmingly shown that district teams work more collaboratively with families when the families come prepared and with the support of someone with knowledge of the laws supporting family rights in special education.
BIO
Karen Antone
Special Education Advocate/ IEP Support Consultant
Karen feels that parental involvement and collaboration at all levels gives our children the greatest gains in education. Karen worked for the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network for over 10 years total, where she held the position of the SPAN Monmouth County Family Resource Specialist for several years assisting, educating and supporting family advocacy for IEPs and improving programs. Karen then joined the START Project as a Parent Group Specialist developing and supporting collaborative Special Education Parent Advisory Groups (SEPAGs) in Central NJ. As a START PGS, Karen presented workshops on collaborative IEP meetings and starting and running SEPAGs to parents and district professionals. Karen was then promoted to START Project Director, where in addition to oversight of project staff and goals she presented workshops for increasing parental involvement to professionals and assisted in the development of the Special Education Parent Advisory Groups in NJ | A Guide to Developing and Conducting an Effective Group
Karen also participated in NJ DOE planning committees, including the planning committee for the Parent Expo: Biliteracy for Student Success and the NJ Tiered Systems of Support Development Team. She also participated as a parent representative for the Monmouth County Children's Inter-Agency Coordinating Council (CIACC), was an active member of the Monmouth Family Council, member of the Middletown Township School District Parent Information Committee (PIC), and is a current member of Two Rivers Friends of Diverse Learners. Karen is also a SPAN Resource Parent and a graduate of the Institute for Special Education Advocacy(ISEA) at William & Mary Law School. Karen also is a member of the Council of Parent Attorney and Advocates (COPAA), attends their yearly conference for ongoing professional development, and has completed Special Education Advocacy Training 2.0. Karen is a 2017 graduate of Parents in Policy Making and has received her certificate in non-profit management from the Support Center for Non-Profit Management in NYC.
Karen lives in Middletown, New Jersey where she co-led VOICES/ Middletown Friends of Different Learners, the Special Education Parent Advisory Group(SEPAG) for 7 years. She is the parent of a three children, her eldest son Phillip has autism, earned his Eagle Scout and graduated from high school as a member of the National Honor Society. Phillip benefited from being included in his least restrictive environment throughout his education, and is now taking classes at duCret School of Art sfter graduating the KACH program at Brookdale. Her daughter Kristin was fully included with an IEP until 8th grade, followed by the support of a 504 plan that that she continued to utilize at the University of Rhode Island, where she graduated on the Dean's List with high honors with a double major of Psychology and Philosophy. She is now working on her Master's degree in Education while teaching third grade. Her youngest son Kie graduated high school with honors and is attending the Harrington School of Communication at University of Rhode Island.