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 Plano, Texas
Advocates here work with Plano families and Plano ISD teams. Each profile lists a rate when the advocate shares one.
5 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
What an IEP advocate is
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
Families in Plano and Corpus Christi 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 Plano IEP meeting
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Plano team ever sits down.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
Advocates based in Texas
No advocate in this directory lists Plano 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 Newcastle, OK · works with Texas schools
Lyndon Parker
Special Education Advocate - IEP Consultant
Former special education teacher and educational advocate with experience on both sides of the IEP table.
- From $65 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
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 Kansas City, MO · works with Texas schools
Diane Plunkett
Navigate Special Education with Clarity and Confidence - Guiding Families. Building Futures.
Dr. Diane is a special education advocate and founder of Steppingstone Services, LLC. She holds a Ph.D.
- Behavioral & Emotional, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Early Childhood
- From $150 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets in person or by video
The district behind a Plano IEP
Plano ISD takes most Plano 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.
A Corpus Christi parent group can tell you how the same district handled a case like yours, which is worth more to read than a policy page.
- District Plano ISD
- County Collin County
- Public schools inside Plano 59
- Size Plano is the 9th-largest city in Texas by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Austin, TX
Confirm your child's district by address. Plano addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
What the clock is here
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in Texas, and the district has to answer inside 15 school days.
Put the request in writing and date it. An email to the Plano school counts as 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.
No license, no required certification
The Texas Education Agency oversees special education in Texas. It does not license the advocates parents hire.
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 Texas Education Agency does, and only after someone files one in writing.
Plano ISD is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
Who serves Plano today
Being listed for Texas is not the same as taking Plano cases, so read the service area on each of the 5 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in a Plano ISD meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Plano IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Plano, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Plano, Texas?
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 Plano schools?
Most of the city sits inside Plano ISD. 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.
Are there free IEP advocates in Plano?
No public program assigns you a private advocate. The links under official resources on this page go to the state agency and to the complaint process, and both cost nothing to use.
What should a records request say?
Ask in writing and address it to the district rather than the front office. Schools have to let parents inspect the education records they keep, and inspection has to happen before the next IEP meeting.
What documents does an advocate need from me?
Bring the current IEP or 504 plan, the most recent evaluation report, the last two progress reports and any email where the school said no. An advocate who has those before the call can tell you what is missing in ten minutes.
Official special education resources in Texas
Official Texas links for parents in Plano.
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 Corpus Christi, Lubbock, Arlington, Laredo and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
Before you contact anyone
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Plano and Corpus Christi. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Keep a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will start by building the same thing.
