Military IEP Advocate for San Diego Families
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Moving on orders shouldn’t mean your child’s IEP or 504 plan gets lost in the shuffle. I’m a San Diego Realtor, Military Relocation Professional, and paralegal who works primarily with active duty families PCSing in and out of Naval Base San Diego and MCAS Miramar — and I help you line up housing and school placement with your child’s services from day one.
PCS Timing & IEP Transfers
Orders don’t wait for IEP meetings. Getting your housing search and your child’s records request moving on the same timeline prevents a services gap at the new school.
Military-Connected Rights
The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children and IDEA both protect your child during a move — but only if the receiving district is told to apply them.
Local Base Knowledge
I know the difference between the Naval Base San Diego side of town and the MCAS Miramar side — down to which districts, EFMP coordinators, and drive times matter for your family.
Naval Base San Diego & MCAS Miramar
The right school district conversation starts with where you’ll actually be living. Here’s how I approach each installation differently.
Naval Base San Diego
Families stationed at Naval Base San Diego are typically weighing housing in and around National City, Chula Vista, Coronado, and southern/central San Diego neighborhoods. I help you evaluate those districts’ special education programs alongside commute time to base, and connect you with your command’s School Liaison Officer for enrollment logistics and your EFMP coordinator for service-specific questions.
MCAS Miramar
MCAS Miramar families are usually looking at Scripps Ranch, Mira Mesa, Tierrasanta, or Poway-area districts. Program availability — resource specialist programs, speech/language services, autism support classrooms — varies meaningfully district to district in this part of San Diego, and I walk through that with you before you commit to a housing search radius.
What I Help You Think Through
Records request, started early. I help you request current IEP/504, evaluation reports, and progress data from the outgoing school before you’re mid-move and it’s harder to reach anyone.
Comparable services during the gap. Under the Interstate Compact and IDEA, the new San Diego district must provide comparable services while it reviews your child’s existing IEP — I help you know what to ask for on day one.
District-by-district program differences. Not every San Diego district runs the same special education program models. We look at this before, not after, you sign a lease near a specific school.
Who on base to loop in. Your School Liaison Officer (SLO) for general enrollment, your branch’s EFMP coordinator and Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) for special education law specifically — I help you know which is which.
DoDEA Transition Support
If your child’s current IEP was written at a DoDEA school overseas or stateside, it was built under different eligibility categories and service delivery models than California uses. Here’s roughly how I help families sequence that transition.
Start the records pull. Request the full DoDEA IEP file, most recent evaluations, and any accommodations log from the current school.
Narrow the housing search to your target districts. We match neighborhoods near Naval Base San Diego or MCAS Miramar to districts with the program type your child needs.
Flag eligibility category differences. DoDEA and California don’t always use the same disability category labels — we note where translation or re-evaluation may be needed before enrollment.
Line up the enrollment meeting. Aim to have a placement/IEP review meeting scheduled for your first week in San Diego, not weeks after you arrive.
Hand-carry records. Bring paper and digital copies of the IEP, evaluations, and progress reports with you rather than relying solely on district-to-district transfer.
A Realtor Who Also Understands the Legal Side
I’m a paralegal and Military Relocation Professional, and I’m a military-connected special education advocate who has worked alongside nonprofits supporting military-connected kids. As a former Coast Guard spouse, I made 4 moves in 12 years across 3 states — I know what it feels like to walk into a new district with an IEP in hand and not know who to call first.
IDEA · Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children · 34 C.F.R. § 300.323(f)
Schedule a Strategy CallFrequently Asked Questions
Does my child’s IEP transfer automatically when we PCS to San Diego?
Under IDEA and the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, a San Diego district must implement comparable services immediately upon enrollment while it reviews your child’s existing IEP and decides whether to adopt it as written or evaluate further. It isn’t automatic paperwork-free, but the district can’t leave your child without services during that review.
Who do I contact on base for special education help versus general PCS questions?
Your School Liaison Officer (SLO) is the right first call for general PCS enrollment, school choice, and records questions. For special education law specifically, your branch’s EFMP coordinator and the Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) are the better resource — the NDAA requires each branch to provide legal assistance related to special education law.
Is there a difference between working with Naval Base San Diego and MCAS Miramar families?
The underlying law and the SLO/EFMP/RLSO structure are the same across branches, but local district boundaries, housing waitlists, and drive times differ between the two areas — which changes which San Diego school districts we look at first.
What does DoDEA transition support mean, exactly?
Students coming from a DoDEA school carry an IEP written under different eligibility categories and service models than California uses. Transition support means reviewing that IEP against San Diego district criteria before enrollment, so services don’t quietly lapse during the switch.
Do you charge for the first conversation?
No — the initial IEP/504 strategy call is free, and you don’t need to be a home-buying or selling client to use it.
Hilary Reese
Hilary has closed dozens of PCS transactions across California — San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles — since 2006. As a former Coast Guard spouse and military-connected special education advocate, she pairs real estate expertise with a working knowledge of IDEA and military family education law.
Ready to talk through your PCS and your child’s IEP?
Book a free 30-minute strategy call — no obligation, and it’s separate from any home search.
Schedule a Strategy CallHilary Reese
Realtor | MRP | Paralegal
eXp Realty
Cell 404-987-7658
DRE 01742054 · GA 433796
PCS IEP Help| DODEA SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCATE 
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