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
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
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.
After the meeting the work is dull. The advocate reads the draft against the notes and sends a correction back the same week.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
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 25 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.
Families who move between Highlands Ranch and here change districts, and the new team is not required to keep the old plan word for word.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
Once you sign consent for testing, a Colorado district has 60 calendar days to finish an initial evaluation, and that clock does not stop because a case manager is out or the file went to the wrong building.
If the Castle Rock team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
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.
Advocates do not decide complaints. The Colorado Department of Education does, and only after someone files one in writing.
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.
Being listed for Colorado is not the same as taking Castle Rock cases, so read the service area on each of the 1 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
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?
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.
Do I need an advocate for a routine annual review?
Bring somebody in when the file stops making sense to you. A routine review with services in place and progress data that moves usually does not need one.
Can we work with an advocate who lives outside Colorado?
Video is normal now. A remote advocate reads the file, drafts your concerns and joins the meeting by phone. What a remote advocate cannot do is walk the building or read the room.
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 documents does an advocate need from me?
Start with a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will build the same thing, so writing it yourself saves an hour of billed time.
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.
If nobody here fits, check the Highlands Ranch page next. The same Colorado rules apply there.
Have the most recent Douglas County School District progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
