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
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
What an IEP advocate is
Hiring one is optional. Nothing in federal law requires a parent to bring an advocate to an IEP meeting.
Families in Bozeman and Butte 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.
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.
Request the full file in writing before you hire anyone. Schools have to give parents the education records they keep.
Virtual advocates who work with Montana families
These advocates are not based in Montana. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
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
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
The district behind a Bozeman IEP
Bozeman Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Bozeman students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
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.
What the clock is here
Once you sign consent for testing, a Montana district has 60 calendar 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.
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.
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.
Where advocacy stops
Advocates do not decide complaints. The Montana Office of Public Instruction does, and only after someone files one in writing.
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.
Who serves Bozeman today
Video is normal now. 26 of the advocates listed for Bozeman work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Experience with Bozeman Public Schools matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
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.
How much should I budget for one IEP meeting?
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.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Bozeman?
Bozeman Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Bozeman students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
How many days does an initial evaluation take?
Montana sets its own deadline and it is 60 calendar days. Federal law lets a state do that, so a timeline a parent reads on a national site may not be the one running here.
How many advocates on this page are based in Montana?
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.
How do I file a state special education complaint in Montana?
The Montana Office of Public Instruction takes written complaints from parents about missed deadlines and services never delivered. An advocate can prepare one. The advocate does not decide it and cannot make the district settle.
Official special education resources in Montana
Official Montana links for parents in Bozeman.
Sources for the Montana rules on this page
- OPI, Special Education in Montana (August 2024) (34 CFR 300.301(c)(1)(i))
- OPI special education process flowchart (34 CFR 300.301(c)(1)(i))
- 34 CFR 300.301, Initial evaluations (34 CFR 300.301(c))
- OPI special education dispute resolution
- OPI special education contacts one-pager
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
Nearby cities in Montana
The same Montana rules apply in Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Missoula and the other cities listed here, or see every Montana advocate.
Before you contact anyone
Start with two calls, not six. Ask each advocate what they would do first with a Bozeman file, and hire the one whose answer is specific enough that you could write it down as a task.
Have the most recent Bozeman Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
