DeKalb County Public Schools staff run the IEP meetings in Brookhaven. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
4 based in Georgia · 3 virtual advocates who work with Georgia schools
Hiring one is optional. Nothing in federal law requires a parent to bring an advocate to an IEP meeting.
Brookhaven parents tend to call at one of two moments. The first is before an initial evaluation and the second is after a service quietly disappears from the plan.
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence a Brookhaven team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
Request the full file in writing before you hire anyone. Schools have to give parents the education records they keep.
No advocate in this directory lists Brookhaven as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Georgia, and each card names the city.
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.
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 Cumming, GA
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.
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 Leonardtown, MD · works with Georgia 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 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.
Virtual · based in Las Vegas, NV · works with Georgia schools
IEP Consultant
Hey there! I’ve been a special education teacher for nearly a decade, so helping unique learners thrive is truly my life’s work.
DeKalb County Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Brookhaven students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Families who move between Marietta 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.
No Georgia deadline applies to a written evaluation request. Federal rules still require a response within a reasonable time.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Brookhaven meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
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.
No state license exists for special education advocacy. No federal agency issues one either, and no exam stands between a person and the title.
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 Georgia Department of Education does, and only after someone files one in writing.
DeKalb County Public Schools is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Georgia rules is usually a better hire for Brookhaven than a local one who does not.
Experience with DeKalb County Public Schools matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Brookhaven, Georgia, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much should I budget for one IEP meeting?
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.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Brookhaven?
Most Brookhaven families work with DeKalb County Public Schools. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
How many days does an initial evaluation take?
The deadline in Georgia for finishing an initial evaluation is 60 calendar days. Put that date on your calendar the day you sign consent, because the district counts from the paperwork and not from the conversation.
Do advocates here work on Section 504 plans in Brookhaven?
Nearly every advocate on this page takes both. Compare profiles for experience with accommodations, 504 meetings and school compliance, and ask the school in writing before you bring anyone to a 504 meeting.
Does the state provide a free advocate?
Free guidance exists. Parent centers, disability rights agencies and local parent groups all give it, and none of them will attend the meeting as your representative.
Official Georgia links for parents in Brookhaven.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Georgia rules apply in Marietta, Smyrna, Albany, Valdosta and the other cities listed here, or see every Georgia advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Brookhaven and Marietta. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Have the most recent DeKalb County Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
