San Jose Unified School District staff run the IEP meetings in San Jose. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
3 based in California · 3 virtual advocates who work with California schools
An advocate is a paid professional who reads the evaluation reports, drafts your concerns, sits beside you at the IEP table, and follows up on whatever the school agreed to do.
Parents in San Jose usually start looking for an advocate when a meeting is already on the calendar.
Advocates also coach. Some San Jose parents hire one for two hours of prep and go into the meeting alone.
San Jose 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 Jose 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 Cumming, GA · works with California schools
Founder
Russell Lloyd is a special education advocate serving families in Cumming, GA.
Virtual · based in Hialeah, FL · works with California schools
Advocate
Hi! I look forward to helping families and their students get the crucial support they need. I have varied experience working with families and educators at the state and local levels.
Virtual · based in Newcastle, OK · works with California schools
Special Education Advocate - IEP Consultant
Former special education teacher and educational advocate with experience on both sides of the IEP table.
See all 18 virtual advocates who work with California families
San Jose Unified School District takes most San Jose addresses, but not all of them. Check yours before you send a letter, because a request that lands in the wrong district office does not start the evaluation clock at all.
District lines and city lines are not the same thing. A street can sit inside one city and be zoned to the district next door.
Confirm your child's district by address. San Jose addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
Federal law lets a state write its own evaluation deadline instead of using the national one. What California actually requires is 60 days.
Bring the last two report cards and the current plan. That is usually enough paper to start.
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.
California does not license or certify special education advocates. Anyone in San Jose can print a card with the word advocate on it.
Advocates who work San Diego and here see the same state rules twice a week. Repetition inside one state is the practice worth paying for.
Advocates charge for this. At $75 to $150 per hour, a standard IEP cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400, and that money does not come back if the answer is still no.
Nobody can undo a meeting you already agreed to in writing. Read the page you are asked to sign before the room empties.
Video is normal now. 18 of the advocates listed for San Jose work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Distance is a scheduling problem and not a legal one. Meetings run by video whenever the parent and the school both agree to it.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in San Jose, California, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What is the hourly rate for a parent advocate?
Flat fees are common for a single meeting and hourly billing is common for everything else. Many advocates give a free first call. Nobody bills you through this site, so ask each person how they invoice.
Does San Jose Unified School District cover every San Jose address?
Most of the city sits inside San Jose 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.
How long can a school take to test my child?
The rule here is 60 days. It covers the evaluation only. Writing the plan after a child is found eligible is a separate step with its own timing.
How do I know where an advocate actually works from?
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.
What should I have ready before the first call with an advocate?
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 San Jose.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same California rules apply in San Diego, San Francisco, Fresno, Los Angeles 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 Jose list will ask for it.
Two questions sort most of this out. What would you do first with this file, and what does that cost.
