Special education and Section 504 advocates for Poudre School District R-1 families in Fort Collins.
1 based in Colorado · 3 virtual advocates who work with Colorado schools
The job is plain. An advocate knows what services the school owes your child and asks for them in writing.
Most of the work happens before anyone sits down in a Fort Collins conference room.
Advocates also coach. Some Fort Collins parents hire one for two hours of prep and go into the meeting alone.
Poudre School District R-1 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 Fort Collins 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 Midland, TX · works with Colorado schools
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
Virtual · based in Kansas City, MO · works with Colorado schools
Navigate Special Education with Clarity and Confidence - Guiding Families. Building Futures.
Dr. Diane is a special education advocate and founder of Steppingstone Services, LLC. She holds a Ph.D.
See all 24 virtual advocates who work with Colorado families
34 public schools inside Fort Collins belong to Poudre School District R-1. 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.
No Colorado deadline applies to a written evaluation request. Federal rules still require a response within a reasonable time.
Bring the last two report cards and the current plan. That is usually enough paper to start.
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.
Colorado does not license or certify special education advocates. Anyone in Fort Collins can print a card with the word advocate on it.
A certificate says nothing about Poudre School District R-1. Ask instead what the advocate has filed there and what came back.
Hiring an advocate does not pause a deadline or undo a meeting that already happened. The work starts from wherever the Fort Collins file sits today.
Poudre School District R-1 answers to the parent on the paperwork, so an advocate can draft the letter and you still have to be the one who sends it.
Rates and openings decide most of this. An advocate who cannot meet before your Fort Collins meeting date is the wrong hire, and the second-best advocate who is free this month usually beats the best one who is not.
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 Fort Collins, Colorado, 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.
Is an IEP advocate a type of lawyer?
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.
Can I hire a virtual advocate if we live in Fort Collins?
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.
Does Poudre School District R-1 cover every Fort Collins address?
Most Fort Collins families work with Poudre School District R-1. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
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.
Official Colorado links for parents in Fort Collins.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Colorado rules apply in Aurora, Lakewood, Colorado Springs, Thornton and the other cities listed here, or see every Colorado advocate.
Print the current IEP and bring it to the first call. Every advocate on the Fort Collins list will ask for it.
Say the name of your school and Poudre School District R-1 in the first message. That is enough for an advocate to know whether they can take the case.
