Virtual · based in Midland, TX · works with Connecticut schools
Kate Keenan
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
- From $75 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
IEP advocates in Putnam, Connecticut
Special education and Section 504 advocates for Putnam School District families in Putnam.
3 virtual advocates who work with Connecticut schools
What an advocate does for a Putnam family
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.
Families in Putnam and Greenwich 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.
What the work looks like
Before the meeting an advocate reads the current IEP against the evaluation reports, pulls the progress data to see whether the goals are actually being met, writes your concerns into one page, and sends it to the team in advance.
Putnam School District keeps progress data on every goal in the plan. Ask for it as a table of dates and numbers rather than a paragraph.
Virtual advocates who work with Connecticut families
These advocates are not based in Connecticut. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Inverness, IL · works with Connecticut schools
Arielle Allen
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…
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Deaf-Blindness, Developmental Delay
- Contact for rate
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in San Diego, CA · works with Connecticut schools
Sanford Autism Advocacy Group
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.
- Autism, Other Health Impairment, Speech/Language, IDEA
- From $200 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
See all 25 virtual advocates who work with Connecticut families
Which district is in the room
3 public schools inside Putnam belong to Putnam 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.
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.
- District Putnam School District
- County Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region
- Public schools inside Putnam 3
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
The deadlines that apply in Connecticut
The deadline for finishing an initial evaluation in Connecticut is 45 school days from the referral. Put that date on your calendar the day the paperwork goes in.
Keep every email. Most of what an advocate does with a Putnam file is date-stamping what the school already told you.
Connecticut gives a school district 45 school days from the referral to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 5 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Connecticut State Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Who licenses advocates in Connecticut
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 Putnam district starts talking to its own lawyer.
Putnam School District does not approve or bar advocates. Federal rules let a parent bring anyone with knowledge of the child to the meeting.
What an advocate cannot do
Hiring an advocate does not pause a deadline or undo a meeting that already happened. The work starts from wherever the Putnam file sits today.
Nobody can undo a meeting you already agreed to in writing. Read the page you are asked to sign before the room empties.
Local advocates and video advocates
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Connecticut rules is usually a better hire for Putnam than a local one who does not.
Ask for two references from cases like yours. Somebody who cannot produce one has not worked many.
Putnam IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Putnam, Connecticut, 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?
No. Advocates prepare for meetings, read the records and negotiate with the district. Attorneys file due process complaints and appear at hearings, which an advocate cannot do.
Does Putnam School District cover every Putnam address?
Most Putnam families work with Putnam School District. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
What can I do if I cannot afford an advocate?
Every state has a federally funded Parent Training and Information Center that answers questions at no charge. Free help usually means general guidance rather than somebody sitting next to you in the meeting.
What should I have ready before the first call with an advocate?
Write down the two things you want changed and bring the paperwork that shows why. Meetings run long when nobody in the room has decided what the ask is.
Official special education resources in Connecticut
Official Connecticut links for parents in Putnam.
Sources for the Connecticut rules on this page
- Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, Children Requiring Special Education, published by CSDE (Conn. Agencies Regs. § 10-76d-13(a)(1) and § 10-76a-1(5))
- CSDE Special Education Legal and Due Process Resources
- CSDE Bureau of Special Education
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
Nearby cities in Connecticut
The same Connecticut rules apply in Greenwich, West Hartford, New Britain, Danbury and the other cities listed here, or see every Connecticut advocate.
What to do next
If nobody here fits, check the Greenwich page next. The same Connecticut rules apply there.
Two questions sort most of this out. What would you do first with this file, and what does that cost.
