Special education and Section 504 advocates for Salt Lake City School District families in Salt Lake City.
3 virtual advocates who work with Utah schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
Salt Lake City parents tend to call at one of two moments. The first is before an initial evaluation and the second is after a service quietly disappears from the plan.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Salt Lake City team ever sits down.
Request the full file in writing before you hire anyone. Schools have to give parents the education records they keep.
These advocates are not based in Utah. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Hialeah, FL · works with Utah schools
Advocate
Hello! I look forward to helping families and their students get the crucial support they need. I have varied experience working with families and educators at the state and local levels.
Virtual · based in New York, NY · works with Utah schools
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…
Virtual · based in Midland, TX · works with Utah schools
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
Salt Lake City School District takes most Salt Lake City 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.
Parents in West Valley City face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
Confirm your child's district by address. Salt Lake City addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
Once you sign consent for testing, an Utah 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 Salt Lake City team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
Utah gives a school district 45 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Utah 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 Utah State Board of Education, Special Education Services, which takes written state complaints from parents.
The Utah State Board of Education oversees special education in Utah. 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.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Salt Lake City. Anyone who does is selling you something.
Salt Lake City School District is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
Video is normal now. 25 of the advocates listed for Salt Lake City work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Experience with Salt Lake City School District matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Salt Lake City, Utah, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Salt Lake City, Utah?
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 is the difference between an IEP advocate and a special education attorney?
An advocate is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice or file a lawsuit. What an advocate can do is build the written record a lawyer would need later.
Can we work with an advocate who lives outside Utah?
Yes. IDEA, the federal special education law, requires parent participation in IEP meetings and allows alternative means such as video or phone when you and the school agree. Your advocate does not have to live nearby.
Who runs special education for Salt Lake City schools?
Most of the city sits inside Salt Lake City School District. 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.
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.
Official Utah links for parents in Salt Lake City.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Utah rules apply in West Valley City, West Jordan, Provo, St. George and the other cities listed here, or see every Utah advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Salt Lake City and West Valley City. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Have the most recent Salt Lake City School District progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
