Advocates here work with New Castle families and Colonial School District teams. Each profile lists a rate when the advocate shares one.
3 virtual advocates who work with Delaware schools
An IEP advocate goes to school meetings with you and argues for services your child is not getting.
Most of the work happens before anyone sits down in a New Castle conference room.
Advocates also coach. Some New Castle parents hire one for two hours of prep and go into the meeting alone.
Colonial School District can charge for copies of a file. Asking to inspect the record in person instead costs nothing under federal rules.
These advocates are not based in Delaware. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Atlanta, GA · works with Delaware schools
School Psychologist & Parent Advocate
I’m a certified School Psychologist, Parent Advocate, and Coach dedicated to helping families navigate special education with confidence.
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with Delaware schools
Founder
Russell Lloyd is a special education advocate serving families in Cumming, GA.
Virtual · based in San Diego, CA · works with Delaware schools
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.
See all 20 virtual advocates who work with Delaware families
12 public schools inside New Castle belong to Colonial 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.
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.
Federal law lets a state write its own evaluation deadline instead of using the national one. What Delaware actually requires is 45 school days or 90 calendar days, whichever is less.
Bring the last two report cards and the current plan. That is usually enough paper to start.
Delaware gives a school district 45 school days or 90 calendar days, whichever is less to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Delaware 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 Delaware Department of Education, Exceptional Children Resources, which takes written state complaints from parents.
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 New Castle district starts talking to its own lawyer.
A certificate says nothing about Colonial School District. Ask instead what the advocate has filed there and what came back.
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in New Castle can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
Colonial School District 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 New Castle meeting date is the wrong hire, and the second-best advocate who is free this month usually beats the best one who is not.
Read a profile for what the advocate actually did, not for what the profile claims. Case detail is the tell.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in New Castle, Delaware, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in New Castle?
Rates run $75 to $250 per hour. What moves the number is experience, the type of case, and whether anyone has to drive to the meeting. Profiles here show the rate when the advocate publishes one.
Which school district serves New Castle, Delaware?
Most New Castle families work with Colonial School District. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
Is there low cost IEP help anywhere?
No public program assigns you a private advocate. The links under official resources on this page go to the state agency and to the complaint process, and both cost nothing to use.
Should my child have an IEP or a Section 504 plan?
An IEP provides specialized instruction and related services under IDEA. A 504 plan provides accommodations under a civil rights law and does not require specialized instruction. Eligibility rules differ, so a child can qualify for one and not the other.
Who decides a special education complaint in Delaware?
Written complaints go to the Delaware Department of Education. It decides on the paperwork rather than at a hearing, so dates and documents are what the decision turns on.
Official Delaware links for parents in New Castle.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Delaware rules apply in Elsmere, Georgetown, Seaford, Smyrna and the other cities listed here, or see every Delaware advocate.
Search is free. You contact advocates directly.
Do not sign anything at the first meeting if you are unsure. Consent can wait a day.
