Garland ISD staff run the IEP meetings in Garland. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
5 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
Families in Garland and Frisco 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.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Garland team ever sits down.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
No advocate in this directory lists Garland as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Texas, and each card names the city.
Based in Austin, TX
Experienced Special Education Advocate & Former District Administrator
Chelsea Venegas, M.Ed., is a special education advocate with experience as a special education teacher, school administrator, district-level special education leader, and advocate within a special…
Based in Austin, TX
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.
Based in Midland, TX
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
These advocates are not based in Texas. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Inverness, IL · works with Texas schools
Special Education Advocate
I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University and a Master’s of Education from DePaul University, with a dual certification in elementary and…
Virtual · based in Leesburg, FL · works with Texas 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 Arlington Heights, IL · works with Texas schools
Special Education Advocate
I am a former special education teacher, with experience in public and therapeutic day schools.
Garland ISD takes most Garland addresses, but not all of them. Check yours before you send a letter, because a request that lands in the wrong district office does not start the evaluation clock at all.
Families who move between Frisco 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. Garland addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
Once you sign consent for testing, a Texas district has 45 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 Garland team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
Texas gives a school district 45 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 15 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Texas Education Agency, Office of Special Populations and Student Supports, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Garland IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
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 Texas Education Agency does, and only after someone files one in writing.
Advocates who have never seen the file cannot tell you what is missing from it. Send the records first and book the call second.
Being listed for Texas is not the same as taking Garland cases, so read the service area on each of the 5 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Advocates who take Frisco cases usually take these too. Say where you are in the first email so nobody wastes a week finding out.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Garland, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Garland, Texas?
Flat fees are common for a single meeting and hourly billing is common for everything else. Many advocates give a free first call. Nobody bills you through this site, so ask each person how they invoice.
What is the difference between an IEP advocate and a special education attorney?
Two different jobs. The advocate works the IEP process and the attorney works the legal one. If a hearing is already filed, you need the attorney.
Who runs special education for Garland schools?
Garland ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Garland students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
What is the evaluation deadline in Texas?
Texas sets its own deadline and it is 45 school 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.
What should a records request say?
A district can charge for copies. Asking to inspect the record in person costs nothing under federal rules, and it is usually faster than waiting for a copy set.
Official Texas links for parents in Garland.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Texas rules apply in Frisco, Irving, Laredo, McKinney and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
If nobody here fits, check the Frisco page next. The same Texas rules apply there.
Keep a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will start by building the same thing.
