Special education and Section 504 advocates for Edina Public School District families in Edina.
3 virtual advocates who work with Minnesota schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
Families in Edina and Burnsville 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.
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence an Edina team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
Read the evaluation report twice. The second read is where the missing service usually shows up.
These advocates are not based in Minnesota. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Oscoda, MI · works with Minnesota schools
Special Education Advocate | Certified Neurodiversity Coach | Certified Neuropsychology Coach
Michelle Velazquez is a Special Education Advocate, Educational Consultant, Master IEP Coach®, and Certified Neurodiversity and Neuropsychology Coach.
Virtual · based in Houston, TX · works with Minnesota schools
Special Education Advocate
~Beginning of school year document review sale - $50(Up to 4hrs) Non-Attorney Certified Special Education Advocate with 13 years of healthcare experience & 2 years of advocacy experience.
Virtual · based in Hialeah, FL · works with Minnesota schools
Advocate
I look forward to helping families and their students get the crucial support they need. I have varied experience working with families and educators at the state and local levels.
See all 31 virtual advocates who work with Minnesota families
Edina Public School District runs the IEP meetings for most Edina students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Parents in Burnsville face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
Once you sign consent for testing, a Minnesota district has 30 school days to finish an initial evaluation, and that clock does not stop because a case manager is out or the file went to the wrong building.
If the Edina team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
Minnesota gives a school district 30 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Minnesota 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 Minnesota Department of Education, Special Education Division, 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 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.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Minnesota rules is usually a better hire for Edina than a local one who does not.
Experience with Edina Public School District matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Edina, Minnesota, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Edina, Minnesota?
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.
Who runs special education for Edina schools?
Most Edina families work with Edina Public School District. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
Do I have to use an advocate from my own town?
Every card on this page names the city the advocate works from. Advocates listed under the virtual heading live somewhere else and work with families here by video or phone.
Can I bring an advocate to a Section 504 meeting?
Yes, and the rules differ slightly. Section 504 does not spell out who may attend the way IDEA does, so ask the school in writing before the meeting and keep the answer.
What is the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?
An IEP is the stronger document because it carries goals, service minutes and progress reporting. Section 504 plans are faster to write and easier for a district to agree to.
Official Minnesota links for parents in Edina.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Minnesota rules apply in Burnsville, Minnetonka, Eagan, Mankato and the other cities listed here, or see every Minnesota advocate.
Search is free. You contact advocates directly.
Have the most recent Edina Public School District progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
