Douglas County School District staff run the IEP meetings in Castle Rock. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
1 based in Colorado · 3 virtual advocates who work with Colorado schools
Hiring one is optional. Nothing in federal law requires a parent to bring an advocate to an IEP meeting.
Families in Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch run into the same problem. The school says the current plan is working, and the progress report shows the same goal repeated from last year with the same numbers under it.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Castle Rock team ever sits down.
Read the evaluation report twice. The second read is where the missing service usually shows up.
No advocate in this directory lists Castle Rock as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Colorado, and each card names the city.
Based in Lamar, CO
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.
These advocates are not based in Colorado. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with Colorado schools
Founder
I’m Russell Lloyd, founder of YourChild.org, author, mentor, and special education advocate. I review the record, find the gaps, build the strategy, prepare the parent, and lead IEP meetings.
Virtual · based in Leonardtown, MD · works with Colorado schools
Special Education Advocate
Douglas Hubscher is the Founder and President of Kids Are First, LLC, a special education advocacy firm dedicated to helping families navigate the IEP and 504 process with confidence, clarity, and…
Virtual · based in Arlington Heights, IL · works with Colorado schools
Special Education Advocate
I am a former special education teacher, with experience in public and therapeutic day schools.
See all 24 virtual advocates who work with Colorado families
Douglas County School District runs the IEP meetings for most Castle Rock students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Parents in Highlands Ranch face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
No Colorado deadline applies to a written evaluation request. Federal rules still require a response within a reasonable time.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Castle Rock meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
Colorado gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Colorado rule sets a separate deadline for answering a written request, so the federal reasonable-time standard is what applies. Missed deadlines are handled by the Colorado Department of Education, Office of Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Castle Rock IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
Ask what training the advocate actually finished and who ran it. A one-day webinar and a two-year program both end in a certificate.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Castle Rock. Anyone who does is selling you something.
Douglas County School District is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Colorado rules is usually a better hire for Castle Rock than a local one who does not.
Experience with Douglas County School District matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Castle Rock, Colorado, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Castle Rock, Colorado?
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.
What is the difference between an IEP advocate and a special education attorney?
Two different jobs. The advocate works the IEP process and the attorney works the legal one. If a hearing is already filed, you need the attorney.
Who runs special education for Castle Rock schools?
Most of the city sits inside Douglas County 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.
What is the evaluation deadline in Colorado?
The deadline in Colorado for finishing an initial evaluation is 60 calendar days. Put that date on your calendar the day you sign consent, because the district counts from the paperwork and not from the conversation.
Where does a written special education complaint go?
The Colorado Department of Education takes written complaints from parents about missed deadlines and services never delivered. An advocate can prepare one. The advocate does not decide it and cannot make the district settle.
Official Colorado links for parents in Castle Rock.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Colorado rules apply in Highlands Ranch, Loveland, Boulder, Broomfield and the other cities listed here, or see every Colorado advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Keep a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will start by building the same thing.
