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 Richmond, Texas
Special education and Section 504 advocates for Lamar CISD families in Richmond.
5 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas 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 Richmond and Leon Valley 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 Richmond IEP meeting
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence a Richmond team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
Request the full file in writing before you hire anyone. Schools have to give parents the education records they keep.
Advocates based in Texas
No advocate in this directory lists Richmond 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 Harrisburg, PA · works with Texas schools
Boaz Gregory
Special Education Advocate
I’m a special education teacher with experience supporting students with behavioral, intellectual, and learning needs.
- From $100 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Arlington Heights, IL · works with Texas schools
Angela Williams
Special Education Advocate
I am a former special education teacher, with experience in public and therapeutic day schools.
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Learning Disabilities
- Contact for rate
- Meets in person or by video
The district behind a Richmond IEP
23 public schools inside Richmond belong to Lamar CISD. 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.
A Leon Valley 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 Lamar CISD
- County Fort Bend County
- Public schools inside Richmond 23
- Size Richmond is the 209th-largest city in Texas by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Katy, TX
Confirm your child's district by address. Richmond addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
What the clock is here
The clock that matters starts when you sign consent. In Texas it runs 45 school days.
Put the request in writing and date it. An email to the Richmond 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
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Richmond IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
Membership in a professional body is not a licence. It usually means dues were paid and a code of conduct was signed.
Where advocacy stops
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Richmond. Anyone who does is selling you something.
You sign, not the advocate. Consent and the plan itself both need a parent signature.
Who serves Richmond today
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Texas rules is usually a better hire for Richmond than a local one who does not.
Advocates who take Leon Valley cases usually take these too. Say where you are in the first email so nobody wastes a week finding out.
Richmond IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Richmond, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Richmond, 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 Richmond schools?
Most of the city sits inside Lamar CISD. 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.
Are there free IEP advocates in Richmond?
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.
Where does a written special education complaint go?
The Texas Education Agency 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 Texas
Official Texas links for parents in Richmond.
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 Leon Valley, Live Oak, Bellaire, Helotes and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
Before you contact anyone
You are not limited to advocates inside Richmond. The closest listed office is in Katy, and distance matters less than whether that person has worked a case in your district.
Keep a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will start by building the same thing.
