San Francisco Unified School District staff run the IEP meetings in San Francisco. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
2 based in California · 3 virtual advocates who work with California schools
An IEP advocate goes to school meetings with you and argues for services your child is not getting.
Most of the work happens before anyone sits down in a San Francisco conference room.
Advocates also coach. Some San Francisco parents hire one for two hours of prep and go into the meeting alone.
San Francisco Unified School District can charge for copies of a file. Asking to inspect the record in person instead costs nothing under federal rules.
No advocate in this directory lists San Francisco as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of California, and each card names the city.
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 Oscoda, MI · works with California schools
Special Education Advocate | Certified Neurodiversity Coach | Certified Neuropsychology Coach
Michelle Velazquez is a Special Education Advocate, Educational Consultant, Master IEP Coach®, and Certified Neurodiversity and Neuropsychology Coach.
Virtual · based in Inverness, IL · works with California schools
Special Education Advocate
I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University and a Master’s of Education from DePaul University, with a dual certification in elementary and…
Virtual · based in Arlington Heights, IL · works with California schools
Special Education Advocate
I am a former special education teacher, with experience in public and therapeutic day schools.
See all 29 virtual advocates who work with California families
105 public schools inside San Francisco belong to San Francisco 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.
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in California, and the district has to answer inside 15 days.
Ask the San Francisco team for the evaluation report before the meeting, not at it, because nobody reads a long report accurately while the rest of the team waits.
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 San Francisco district starts talking to its own lawyer.
A certificate says nothing about San Francisco Unified School District. Ask instead what the advocate has filed there and what came back.
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in San Francisco can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
What worked for a family in Fresno may not fit yours. Ask the advocate what is different about your file before you copy anyone.
Video is normal now. 29 of the advocates listed for San Francisco work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
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 San Francisco, California, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What is the hourly rate for a parent advocate?
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.
When should I hire a special education advocate in San Francisco?
No fixed trigger exists. The useful test is whether you can tell from the paperwork what the school is actually offering, and whether the last thing you asked for came back in writing.
Does San Francisco Unified School District cover every San Francisco address?
Most of the city sits inside San Francisco Unified School District. The district writes the plan and holds the special education budget, which is why a complaint about a missed service names the district and not the school.
Which plan covers therapy and specialized instruction?
An IEP is the stronger document because it carries goals, service minutes and progress reporting. Section 504 plans are faster to write and easier for a district to agree to.
Who investigates a school for missing an IEP deadline?
Three routes stay open when you disagree. Mediation is voluntary for both sides, a written state complaint is decided on the record by the California Department of Education, and a due process hearing takes evidence.
Official California links for parents in San Francisco.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same California rules apply in Fresno, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego and the other cities listed here, or see every California advocate.
Print the current IEP and bring it to the first call. Every advocate on the San Francisco list will ask for it.
Say the name of your school and San Francisco Unified School District in the first message. That is enough for an advocate to know whether they can take the case.
