Northshore School District staff run the IEP meetings in Bothell. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
3 virtual advocates who work with Washington schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
The search usually starts the week a parent reads an evaluation report and cannot tell from it whether Bothell schools are offering enough.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Bothell 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 Washington. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Oscoda, MI · works with Washington schools
Special Education Advocate | Certified Neurodiversity Coach | Certified Neuropsychology Coach
Michelle Velazquez is a Special Education Advocate, Educational Consultant, Master IEP Coach®, and Certified Neurodiversity and Neuropsychology Coach.
Virtual · based in Katy, TX · works with Washington schools
Special Education Advocate
Besides being a parent of a neurodivergent son, I have been a special education teacher, diagnostician, and advocate for the past 30 years. I am a true hands-on, walk in your shoes type of advocate.
Virtual · based in Avondale, PA · works with Washington schools
Personalized support from an Experienced Advocate
I'm Lisa Lightner, a Special Education Advocate with 16 years of experience helping families navigate IEPs, evaluations, placement disputes, and special education challenges.
See all 31 virtual advocates who work with Washington families
Northshore School District takes most Bothell 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 Lynnwood parent group can tell you how the same district handled a case like yours, which is worth more to read than a policy page.
Confirm your child's district by address. Bothell addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in Washington, and the district has to answer inside 25 school days.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Bothell meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
Washington gives a school district 35 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 25 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Special Education Division, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Bothell 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.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Bothell. Anyone who does is selling you something.
Northshore School District is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
Rates and openings decide most of this. An advocate who cannot meet before your Bothell meeting date is the wrong hire, and the second-best advocate who is free this month usually beats the best one who is not.
Experience with Northshore School District matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Bothell, Washington, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Bothell, Washington?
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.
Do I need an advocate for a routine annual review?
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.
What is the difference between an IEP advocate and a special education attorney?
No. Advocates prepare for meetings, read the records and negotiate with the district. Attorneys file due process complaints and appear at hearings, which an advocate cannot do.
Who runs special education for Bothell schools?
Northshore School District runs the IEP meetings for most Bothell 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 Washington?
The rule here is 35 school days. It covers the evaluation only. Writing the plan after a child is found eligible is a separate step with its own timing.
Official Washington links for parents in Bothell.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Washington rules apply in Lynnwood, Olympia, Issaquah, Sammamish and the other cities listed here, or see every Washington advocate.
If nobody here fits, check the Lynnwood page next. The same Washington rules apply there.
Have the most recent Northshore School District progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
