IEP advocates in Bozeman, Montana

Special education and Section 504 advocates for Bozeman Public Schools families in Bozeman.

3 virtual advocates who work with Montana schools

Parents and professionals meeting around a table to discuss a school plan

What an IEP advocate is

Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.

Bozeman 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.

Teacher and students reviewing work together on laptops

Before and after a Bozeman IEP meeting

The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Bozeman team ever sits down.

Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.

Virtual · based in Midland, TX · works with Montana 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

Message Kate View Kate's profile

Virtual · based in Hawthorne, NJ · works with Montana schools

Dalia Rodriguez

IEP Consultant, School Social Worker, Advocacy

I am a Child Study Team School Social Worker, with a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. I have core competencies in special education law, mental health, and behavioral health.

Autism, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability
Contact for rate
Meets by video or phone

Message Dalia View Dalia's profile

Virtual · based in San Diego, CA · works with Montana 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

Message Sanford Autism View Sanford Autism's profile

See all 25 virtual advocates who work with Montana families

Teacher reading with young children in a classroom

The district behind a Bozeman IEP

11 public schools inside Bozeman belong to Bozeman Public Schools. 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.

Families who move between Butte and here change districts, and the new team is not required to keep the old plan word for word.

District Bozeman Public Schools
County Gallatin County
Public schools inside Bozeman 11
Size Bozeman is the 4th-largest city in Montana by the 2024 Census estimate

Confirm your child's district by address. Bozeman addresses may fall in more than one public school district.

Person reviewing documents and notes at a desk

What the clock is here

No Montana 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 Bozeman meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.

Montana gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Montana 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 Montana Office of Public Instruction, Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.

The full Montana evaluation and complaint timeline

Education professional standing in front of a classroom chalkboard

No license, no required certification

Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Bozeman IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.

Check the references and not the letters after the name. Two calls to past clients settle it faster than any credential list.

Quiet classroom desk with notebooks and an empty whiteboard

Where advocacy stops

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.

Bozeman Public Schools is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.

Parent on a video call taking notes during a remote meeting

Who serves Bozeman today

Video is normal now. 25 of the advocates listed for Bozeman work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.

Advocates who take Butte cases usually take these too. Say where you are in the first email so nobody wastes a week finding out.

Bozeman IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ

Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Bozeman, Montana, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.

What do special education advocates charge in Bozeman, Montana?

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 Bozeman schools?

Most of the city sits inside Bozeman 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.

Can I bring an advocate to a Section 504 meeting?

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.

What should a records request say?

Ask for the full file, which means every evaluation, the progress data behind each goal and any email where the school said no. Put it in writing and keep the date.

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.