Connect with advocates serving Atlanta families through SST or MTSS concerns, evaluations, eligibility, IEP meetings, behavior support, placement, services, and records.
4 based in Georgia · 3 virtual advocates who work with Georgia schools
Atlanta Public Schools calls its special education department Exceptional Education and provides Child Find for children within district boundaries, including eligible private-school students under IDEA procedures.
APS also offers a Parent Mentor Program and facilitated IEP meetings. Because some Atlanta addresses fall in Fulton or DeKalb school systems, families should confirm the responsible district before following APS-specific steps.
Local starting points include APS Exceptional Education, APS Child Find, APS Parent Mentor Program, and APS facilitated IEP meetings.
Atlanta-area families may be served by APS, Fulton County Schools, DeKalb County School District, or another public agency depending on the student’s address and school. Confirming responsibility is essential before using district-specific Child Find, records, or complaint procedures.
An Atlanta advocate can identify the responsible agency, document the evaluation request, prepare the parent for an IEP or facilitated meeting, and organize records if the concern advances to a GaDOE complaint.
Compare advocates serving Atlanta families in district, charter, and other public-school settings.
2 of these advocates work from Atlanta. The rest are based elsewhere in Georgia. Each card names the city.
Based in Atlanta, GA
Special Education Advocate
My name is Jalani Traxler and I have loved teaching sense I myself was a student with an IEP receiving my own accommodations in elementary school.
Based in Atlanta, GA
School Psychologist & Parent Advocate
I’m a certified School Psychologist, Parent Advocate, and Coach dedicated to helping families navigate special education with confidence.
Based in Flowery Branch, GA
Special education advocate/ IEP consultant
I am a certified special education teacher and I am also a behavior specialist. I am also a mother to a child with Behavioral issues on an IEP, and another child with a 504.
These advocates are not based in Georgia. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Leesburg, FL · works with Georgia schools
CEO IEP Advocate Espanol
Evelyn Roman-Santos is a bilingual Special Education Advocate with 30 years of experience as a School Social Worker.
Virtual · based in Newcastle, OK · works with Georgia schools
Special Education Advocate - IEP Consultant
Former special education teacher and educational advocate with experience on both sides of the IEP table.
Virtual · based in Austin, TX · works with Georgia schools
Special Education Advocate
Hi, My name is David Gonzales. Living in Austin, TX, but originally from Los Angeles, CA. I carry a masters degree in special education and currently practice as a sped teacher.
Atlanta Public Schools uses the term Exceptional Education, serves eligible students ages 3 through 21, and offers Child Find, parent mentors, parent resources, and facilitated IEP meetings.
An Atlanta mailing address can fall within Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County Schools, or DeKalb County School District. Confirm the district by address.
Georgia gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Georgia 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 Georgia Department of Education, Division for Exceptional Children, which takes written state complaints from parents.
The Georgia Department of Education oversees special education in Georgia. It does not license the advocates parents hire.
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 charge for this. At $75 to $150 per hour, a standard IEP cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400, and that money does not come back if the answer is still no.
Advocates who have never seen the file cannot tell you what is missing from it. Send the records first and book the call second.
2 advocates on this page are based in Atlanta. The rest work with Georgia families by video.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in an Atlanta Public Schools meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Atlanta, Georgia, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
Does every Atlanta address fall within Atlanta Public Schools?
No. Some Atlanta mailing addresses are served by Fulton County Schools or DeKalb County School District. Verify the district assigned to the home address before using district contacts.
What do special education advocates charge in Atlanta, Georgia?
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.
Who runs special education for Atlanta schools?
Most of the city sits inside Atlanta Public Schools. 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.
Where does a written special education complaint go?
Three routes stay open when you disagree. Mediation is voluntary for both sides, a written state complaint is decided on the record by the Georgia Department of Education, and a due process hearing takes evidence.
Official Georgia links for parents in Atlanta.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Georgia rules apply in Columbus, Augusta, Macon, Savannah and the other cities listed here, or see every Georgia advocate.
You are not limited to advocates inside Atlanta. The closest listed office is in Flowery Branch, and distance matters less than whether that person has worked a case in your district.
Have the most recent Atlanta Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
