Based in Austin, TX
Chelsea Venegas
Educational Advocate
Chelsea Venegas is a special education advocate serving families in Austin, TX.
- From $175 per hour
- Meets by video or phone
IEP advocates in Laredo, Texas
Laredo ISD staff run the IEP meetings in Laredo. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
5 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
What an advocate does for a Laredo family
The job is plain. An advocate knows what services the school owes your child and asks for them in writing.
Laredo is the 11th-largest city in Texas. Size has nothing to do with how well a district runs its IEP meetings, and a small district with one experienced case manager often does better than a large one.
What the work looks like
Advocates also coach. Some Laredo parents hire one for two hours of prep and go into the meeting alone.
Laredo ISD can charge for copies of a file. Asking to inspect the record in person instead costs nothing under federal rules.
Advocates based in Texas
No advocate in this directory lists Laredo as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Texas, and each card names the city.
Based in Austin, TX
David Gonzales
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.
- From $50 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Based in Midland, TX
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
Virtual advocates who work with Texas families
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 Leesburg, FL · works with Texas schools
Evelyn Roman-Santos
CEO IEP Advocate Espanol
Evelyn Roman-Santos is a bilingual Special Education Advocate with 30 years of experience as a School Social Worker.
- From $120 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Inverness, IL · works with Texas schools
Arielle Allen
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…
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Deaf-Blindness, Developmental Delay
- Contact for rate
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in New York, NY · works with Texas schools
Clara Liriano
Special Education Advocate
Clara Liriano, M.S., is a Special Education Advocate and New York State Certified Special Education Teacher with more than 20 years of experience supporting children and individuals with…
- ADHD / Attention, AAC, Autism Spectrum, Behavioral & Emotional
- From $150 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets in person or by video
Which district is in the room
Laredo ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Laredo students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
District lines and city lines are not the same thing. A street can sit inside one city and be zoned to the district next door.
- District Laredo ISD
- County Webb County
- Public schools inside Laredo 28
- Size Laredo is the 11th-largest city in Texas by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Austin, TX
Confirm your child's district by address. Laredo addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
The deadlines that apply in Texas
The deadline for finishing an initial evaluation in Texas is 45 school days. Put that date on your calendar the day the paperwork goes in.
Ask the Laredo team for the evaluation report before the meeting, not at it, because nobody reads a long report accurately while the rest of the team waits.
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.
Who licenses advocates in Texas
Texas does not license or certify special education advocates. Anyone in Laredo can print a card with the word advocate on it.
A certificate says nothing about Laredo ISD. Ask instead what the advocate has filed there and what came back.
What an advocate cannot do
Hiring an advocate does not pause a deadline or undo a meeting that already happened. The work starts from wherever the Laredo file sits today.
What worked for a family in Irving may not fit yours. Ask the advocate what is different about your file before you copy anyone.
Local advocates and video advocates
Video is normal now. 21 of the advocates listed for Laredo work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Read a profile for what the advocate actually did, not for what the profile claims. Case detail is the tell.
Laredo IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Laredo, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What is the hourly rate for a parent advocate?
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.
When should I hire a special education advocate in Laredo?
Bring somebody in when the file stops making sense to you. A routine review with services in place and progress data that moves usually does not need one.
Can I hire a virtual advocate if we live in Laredo?
Video is normal now. A remote advocate reads the file, drafts your concerns and joins the meeting by phone. What a remote advocate cannot do is walk the building or read the room.
Does Laredo ISD cover every Laredo address?
Most Laredo families work with Laredo ISD. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
Which plan covers therapy and specialized instruction?
An IEP provides specialized instruction and related services under IDEA. A 504 plan provides accommodations under a civil rights law and does not require specialized instruction. Eligibility rules differ, so a child can qualify for one and not the other.
Official special education resources in Texas
Official Texas links for parents in Laredo.
Sources for the Texas rules on this page
- 19 TAC Chapter 89, Subchapter AA, currently in effect (TEA) (19 TAC 89.1011(d)(1))
- TEA, Full and Individual Initial Evaluation timeline (19 TAC 89.1011(d)(1) and Tex. Educ. Code 29.004(a)(1))
- TEA special education complaints process
- TEA special education
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
Nearby cities in Texas
The same Texas rules apply in Irving, Lubbock, Garland, Plano and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
What to do next
Start with two calls, not six. Ask each advocate what they would do first with a Laredo file, and hire the one whose answer is specific enough that you could write it down as a task.
Two questions sort most of this out. What would you do first with this file, and what does that cost.
