Special Education

Feb. 15, 2022

Welcome to the Cobb County School District Special Education website. It is our hope, on this page, you will find the information you are looking for concerning students with disabilities. If you are a parent of a student with a disability, please see the link below to our Parent Mentors’ page for additional information and resources.

Georgia Special Education
Parent Survey

It is time for the yearly Special Education Parent Satisfaction Survey. This survey is conducted by the Georgia Department of Education. Your feedback is extremely important in assisting the state and local school systems as we continue to partner with families to raise the achievement rate for students with disabilities. Completing this survey will assist in achieving this goal. The 2022 Parent Satisfaction Survey will be administered through an online link beginning January 18, 2022 and ending on May 31, 2022.

Georgia’s parent survey is available to all families of students with disabilities. The survey will be administered through an online link and can be found on the websites listed below.

Short link to the parent survey:
gadoe.org/parent-survey

Direct Link Websites - GaDOE:
https://survey.gadoe.org/SPEDParentSurvey

Technical Assistance

Problems with the online survey? Submit a dticket@doe.k12.ga.us or call 800-869-1011.
Questions about the Parent Survey? Contact Anne Ladd at aladd@doe.k12.ga.us or Sharon Jones at sjones@doe.k12.ga.us.
Questions about Parent Survey Dashboard data? Contact Linda Castellanos at LCastellanos@doe.k12.ga.us
Questions related to the Parent Survey or special education generally? Contact SPED Help Desk 404-657-9968 or spedhelpdesk@doe.k12.ga.us

As a District Leader I will use the survey results to help plan for the future of Special Education. Your survey responses are confidential and will be combined with the survey responses of other parents at your child’s school to identify areas in need of improvement. It should only take ten minutes to complete the survey. Thank you for your time and participation to complete this survey. Your input is very important to the district.

Brenda Carter, Director
Special Education
770-426-3309 | Email

Ms. Carter serves as Director of Special Education for the Cobb County School District. She has worked in education for 30 years with 20 years of experience in leadership. Ms. Carter was an Assistant Principal at McEachern High School, a Special Education Cluster Supervisor and a Special Education Lead Teacher. She has a vast amount of experience working with students with disabilities that ranges from Pre-K through 12th grade, including all categorical disabilities. Ms. Carter is passionate about her job and how she serves students, teachers, and parents.

Carla Canington
Secretary
770-426-3309 | Email

Lisa Briley, Assistant Director
Special Education
770-426-3328 | Email

Click here: SSA School Assignments Mrs. Briley Supports

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Lisa Briley serves as an Assistant Director of Special Education for the Cobb County School District. Mrs. Briley has worked in the area of Special Education throughout her career. She has worked as a teacher for students with disabilities in a range of classroom settings from Special Needs Preschool through high school. In addition to her role as a classroom teacher for Cobb County Schools, Mrs. Briley has served as a Special Education Lead Teacher, Education Program Specialist, Cluster Supervisor, and Support and Service Administrator. With a student-centered focus, she is passionate about collaborating with all stakeholders to promote the success for all students.

Holley Ashworth
Secretary
770-426-3328 | Email

George Morgan, Assistant Director
Special Education
770-426-3328 | Email

Click here: SSA School Assignments Mr. Morgan Supports

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Mr. Morgan serves as an Assistant Director of Special Education for the Cobb County School District. Mr. Morgan has worked in education for over a decade and has served in a variety of roles within the district. Mr. Morgan began his career as a middle school teacher at Haven Academy and has supported students with a variety of exceptionalities over the course of his career. In addition to serving as a middle school teacher, Mr. Morgan has served as an Administrator at Hillgrove High School, a Special Education Cluster Supervisor and an Education Program Specialist. Mr. Morgan continues to serve as a champion for students with disabilities within the district and is excited about the opportunity to serve the community in this capacity.

Holley Ashworth
Secretary
770-426-3328 | Email

Jessica Coleman, Director
Special Education Compliance
770-426-3417 | Email

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Jessica Coleman is the Director of Special Education Compliance. She supports all schools within the District in the IEP process. Jessica has 14 years of experience in the field of education. Her experience includes teaching in a small group classroom and providing support from a District level as an Autism Trainer, Education Program Specialist, Supervisor and now currently as an Assistant Director. Jessica earned a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and Special Education and also has a Masters and Specialists degree in Educational Leadership.

Chandra Borden
Secretary
770-426-3417 | Email

Kelli Cox, Assistant Director
Special Education Compliance
770-426-3417 | Email

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Kelli Cox is the Assistant Director of Special Education Compliance. As an educator, she has over 15 years of classroom experience as a teacher for students with disabilities of all ages and grade levels. In addition, she has leadership experience with Cobb County School District at the school level as well as experience in leadership positions in other school systems. As a member of the Support and Services team, she supports teachers and schools in the Cobb County School District in their implementation of Special Education programs. She is passionate about working as a team in order to ensure success of all learners. Her philosophy as an educator follows a quote from Margaret Mead, “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”

Chandra Borden
Secretary
770-426-3417 | Email

Special Education Programs

504 & Homebased Program

Adapted Physical Education, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Orthopedically Impaired, Vision Impaired

Autism, Emotional Behavioral Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Transition Services

Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Special Education Nursing

Parent Mentors

Preschool

Specialized Teaching & Learning, Assistive Technology and FOCUS

Speech & Language

Transition Program / SETS Program

Records and Transcripts

Special Education Records Room
514 Glover Street Marietta, Georgia 30060
Fax: 678.594.8630

Click here: JR-3 Parent/Guardian Request for Special Education Records

Click here: Special Education Records Room Clerk Contact By School

Anne Moore
Special Education Records Clerk
770-426-3599 | Email

Pam Polk
Special Education Records Clerk
770-514-3874 | Email

Are you a former Cobb Student in search of Student Records and Transcripts? Click Here

Equitable Services Update for Students with Disabilities who are Parentally Placed in Private or Home School

Please contact Teresa.Vento@cobbk12.org if you have questions about equitable services for students with disabilities who are in private or home school. If you suspect that your child has a disability and would like to make a referral to determine your child’s eligibility for special education services, you may contact the Office of Student Assistance Programs at (678) 581-6803. We plan to schedule our next consultation meeting in October of 2022.

Please use these helpful FAQs below to find the information you require

Who is my local school Special Education contact person? SSA-Support and Service Administrator?

Each school is assigned a special education Support and Services Administrator also known as the SSA. This person is your special education contact at your local school. See below for a list of SSAs for each school.

SSA Assignments by School

Where can I find information about special education eligibility categories?

The Georgia Department of Education, Special Education Services and Supports, recognizes 12 categories of eligibility for students with disabilities. Click below for categories and information pertaining to them.

Ga. DOE Eligibility Categories

Where can I find more information about special education rules?

You can find information from the GA DOE here.

How do I find out about funds for special needs scholarships?

The state of Georgia has a Georgia’s Special Needs Scholarship Program which is also referred to as SNSP or Senate Bill 10 funds (SB 10). For information about the Special Needs Scholarship Program, click here.

How can I have special education questions answered in my native language?

The International Welcome Center can assist you with obtaining information in your native language.

Click here

How do I get my student evaluated?

Contact the Support and Services Administrator that is assigned to your child’s school who will work with you to address your question(s) regarding an evaluation.

SSA List is provided at the top of this page

Who do I contact with questions about Special Education Transportation?

The need for special education transportation is determined by your child’s IEP team. If special education transportation is indicated, it will be coordinated by the case manager. Please contact your child’s case manager or the Support & Services Administrator at your school with any transportation issues (i.e. moving, change in pick up/drop off location). Transportation changes may take up to 10 days to process.

If you have questions regarding your student’s special education transportation, Click HERE to access the special education transportation website.

What is a Facilitated IEP Team Meeting and how do I request one?

A Facilitated IEP Team Meeting (FIEP) is an optional process, not required by the IDEA, that state educational agencies (SEA) or school districts may provide to parents and schools. A Facilitated IEP Team Meeting, lead by a facilitator, is designed to be a collaborative dispute prevention and resolution process used when members of an IEP team agree that the presence of a third party would help facilitate communication and problem solving. IEP Facilitators can be useful in various ways, including when there is a history of communication challenges or a meeting is expected to be particularly complex or controversial.

A Facilitated IEP Team Meeting is the same as any other IEP team meeting, except that a facilitator from the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) joins the meeting. The facilitator helps with communication among team members, and does not make decisions about the student’s IEP. The goal of a Facilitated IEP Team Meeting is to develop an IEP that is supported by team members and benefits the student.

In a facilitated IEP Team meeting:

Families and schools agree to have a facilitator join an IEP Team meeting.
Facilitators maintain open communication and ensure that everyone at the IEP Team meeting can participate fully.
If disagreements arise during the meeting, a facilitator can help the Team clarify and resolve them.
The facilitator typically does not address issues that are not related to the student’s IEP.

Who can request a Facilitated IEP Team Meeting?

Any parent whose child is in a Georgia school district participating in the GaDOE’s FIEP Team Meeting program, which includes the Cobb County School District

How do I request a FIEP?

Submit a completed request form to the GaDOE
For a request form, CLICK HERE

Why would I request a FIEP?

To have a trained facilitator from the Georgia DOE create an environment in which the IEP Team members can listen to each others’ point of view and work together to create a quality, student-focused IEP

Click below for additional information pertaining to the Facilitated IEP Team Meeting process.

Facilitated IEP (FIEP) Request Form

IEP Facilitation Parent Guide

FIEP Promotional Flyer

FIEP Promotional Flyer – Spanish

What are the high schools graduation requirements for students with significant cognitive disabilities?

The graduation requirements have been established by the Cobb County Board of Education and can be found in Board Policy IHF-R: Graduation Requirements.

For the Board Policy, click here.

What are the Special Education Abbreviations, Acronyms and Terminology?

Special Education Abbreviations, Acronyms and Terminology

District Administrative Rule JBCD-R Transfers

http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/adminrules/j/JBCD-R.pdf

How to obtain a copy of your diploma.

Obtain a Copy of Your Diploma

Georgia Special EducationParent Survey

Short link to the parent survey:gadoe.org/parent-survey Direct Link Websites - GaDOE:https://survey.gadoe.org/SPEDParentSurvey