Special education and Section 504 advocates for Mt. Diablo Unified School District families in Concord.
3 based in California · 3 virtual advocates who work with California schools
The job is plain. An advocate knows what services the school owes your child and asks for them in writing.
Parents in Concord usually start looking for an advocate when a meeting is already on the calendar.
Before the meeting an advocate reads the current IEP against the evaluation reports, pulls the progress data to see whether the goals are actually being met, writes your concerns into one page, and sends it to the team in advance.
Mt. Diablo Unified School District keeps progress data on every goal in the plan. Ask for it as a table of dates and numbers rather than a paragraph.
No advocate in this directory lists Concord as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of California, and each card names the city.
Based in Torrance, CA
Special Education Advocate
I’m April, and I'm totally excited to help you develop a solid action plan for your child! After writing thousands of reports and just as many IEPs, I developed breakthrough coaching methods, Do It…
Based in San Diego, CA
Special Education Advocate
At the Sanford Autism Advocacy Group (SAAG), we are a small but mighty special education consulting group with an emphasis on Autism and IEPs.
Based in Los Angeles, CA
Strategic Special Education Advocate
I combine the precision of a Columbia Law attorney with over a decade of special education leadership to help Los Angeles families navigate the IEP process with clarity, confidence, and results.
These advocates are not based in California. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Austin, TX · works with California schools
Special Education Advocate
Hi, My name is David Gonzales. Living in Austin, TX, but originally from Los Angeles, CA. I carry a masters degree in special education and currently practice as a sped teacher.
Virtual · based in Bloomington, IL · works with California schools
Founder & Advocate
Jade is a former special education teacher who has taught everything from pre-k all the way to transition classrooms with students up to age 21.
Virtual · based in Lamar, CO · works with California schools
Special Education Advocate
I’ve been a science teacher, a Director of Financial Aid, and a Dean of Students at a rural community college — always at the table with students and families navigating systems not built for them.
See all 24 virtual advocates who work with California families
20 public schools inside Concord belong to Mt. Diablo Unified School District. Each one has its own case manager and its own backlog, and the answer you get about scheduling depends on which building your child attends.
Charter and magnet enrollment changes who owes the service. Ask which agency is responsible before the first meeting.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
The deadline for finishing an initial evaluation in California is 60 days. Put that date on your calendar the day the paperwork goes in.
Keep every email. Most of what an advocate does with a Concord file is date-stamping what the school already told you.
California gives a school district 60 days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 15 days. Missed deadlines are handled by the California Department of Education, Special Education Division, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Attorneys are licensed. Advocates hold no license, and the difference matters most when a case gets close to a hearing, which is the point where the Concord district starts talking to its own lawyer.
A certificate says nothing about Mt. Diablo Unified School District. Ask instead what the advocate has filed there and what came back.
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in Concord can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
What worked for a family in Berkeley may not fit yours. Ask the advocate what is different about your file before you copy anyone.
Rates and openings decide most of this. An advocate who cannot meet before your Concord meeting date is the wrong hire, and the second-best advocate who is free this month usually beats the best one who is not.
Ask for two references from cases like yours. Somebody who cannot produce one has not worked many.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Concord, California, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in Concord?
Most advocates on this directory charge $75 to $150 per hour. A standard cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400. Travel and extra meetings cost more.
Which school district serves Concord, California?
Mt. Diablo Unified School District runs the IEP meetings for most Concord students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
Are there any IEP advocates near Concord?
No advocate is listed in every town, and each card here says where that person lives. Somebody who knows the state rules and has an opening this month usually beats the nearest name on the list.
Who decides a special education complaint in California?
Written complaints go to the California Department of Education. It decides on the paperwork rather than at a hearing, so dates and documents are what the decision turns on.
How do I prepare for an IEP meeting in Concord?
Bring the current IEP or 504 plan, the most recent evaluation report, the last two progress reports and any email where the school said no. An advocate who has those before the call can tell you what is missing in ten minutes.
Official California links for parents in Concord.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same California rules apply in Berkeley, Santa Clara, Carlsbad, Pasadena and the other cities listed here, or see every California advocate.
Start with two calls, not six. Ask each advocate what they would do first with a Concord file, and hire the one whose answer is specific enough that you could write it down as a task.
Do not sign anything at the first meeting if you are unsure. Consent can wait a day.
