San Diego IEP & 504 Advocate for Military-Connected Families
IEP and 504 advocacy for families stationed anywhere in San Diego County. San Diego doesn’t have DoDEA schools — military-connected kids here attend public school districts, and I help you line up housing and school placement with your child’s services from day one. I’m a Realtor, Military Relocation Professional, and paralegal who reads an IEP the way I’d read any legal document.
Every Base, Every District
San Diego County spans a lot of ground and a lot of different public school districts. I work with families wherever they’re stationed, from North Island to Miramar to Pendleton.
Virtual, So Duty Doesn’t Get in the Way
Every consult and every meeting can happen virtually — no need to coordinate around watch schedules, deployments, or a base that’s an hour from your IEP meeting.
A Paralegal’s Read on the Paperwork
I read IEPs, 504 plans, and evaluations the way I’d read any legal document — looking for what’s missing, not just what’s there.
San Diego Military Bases
Naval Base San Diego
The Navy’s principal West Coast homeport, on the San Diego Bay waterfront. Families here typically weigh housing in National City, Chula Vista, Coronado, and southern/central San Diego.
Naval Base Coronado
Includes Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. Falls under Coronado Unified.
Naval Base Point Loma
Home to the Navy’s submarine and information-warfare commands. Falls under San Diego Unified.
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Home of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. Families here usually look at Scripps Ranch, Mira Mesa, Tierrasanta, or Poway-area districts.
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Initial training for enlisted Marine recruits from west of the Mississippi. Falls under San Diego Unified.
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
The Marine Corps’ primary West Coast amphibious training base, north of San Diego proper.
Coast Guard Sector San Diego
Coast Guard Sector and Air Station San Diego, on Naval Base Point Loma.
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.
San Diego School Districts
Coronado Unified School District
Serves families at Naval Base Coronado, NAS North Island, and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.
San Diego Unified School District
The county’s largest district, serving families near Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Point Loma, and MCRD San Diego. Program availability — resource specialist programs, speech/language services, autism support classrooms — varies meaningfully within the district.
Poway, Scripps Ranch & Mira Mesa Area Districts
Where most MCAS Miramar families land. Special education program models differ district to district here — worth walking through before you commit to a housing search radius.
South Bay Union School District (Imperial Beach)
Serves grades K–8; Sweetwater Union High School District serves grades 9–12 in the same area.
Don’t see your district listed? Reach out — advocacy isn’t limited to these four.
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.
If You’re Coming From DoDEA
There are no DoDEA schools in San Diego — every military-connected student here enrolls in a public school district. If your child’s current IEP was written at a DoDEA school overseas or elsewhere 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 into a San Diego public district.
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.
What to Bring to a Strategy Session
Your child’s current IEP or 504 plan, even a photo or PDF of the most recent version.
Recent evaluation reports or progress data, if you have them on hand.
Dates that matter — an upcoming IEP or 504 meeting date, PCS orders timeline, or a deadline you’re working against.
Your top one or two questions, written down beforehand, so we make sure to cover them.
Who’s already looped in on base — your School Liaison Officer for enrollment, your EFMP coordinator or Region Legal Service Office for special education law specifically.
Empathy, plus credentials, legal knowledge, and strategy.
Special education is a complex web of federal and state law — IDEA, Section 504, and years of case law. I know how to read an IEP, spot what’s missing, ask the right questions, and advocate firmly and calmly on your child’s behalf. 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.
Graduate-Level Paralegal Degree — University of San Diego
Special Education Law Certificate — University of San Diego
Realtor & Military Relocation Professional, eXp Realty — pairs housing search with school placement from day one
Georgia Parent Volunteer — Decoding Dyslexia Military
Military Liaison — Decoding Dyslexia Georgia
Founder, The Dyslexia Life (est. 2019)
25+ years in the military community · former Coast Guard spouse, 4 moves in 12 years across 3 states
IDEA · Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children · 34 C.F.R. § 300.323(f)
A Few Things to Know First
Does my child’s IEP transfer automatically when we PCS?
Consistent with federal and state law, when your child transfers, the new school must implement the existing IEP as written — including comparable services — until it completes any re-evaluation it determines is necessary. Quoting IDEA 34 C.F.R. § 300.323(f) directly:
“IEPs for children who transfer from another State. If a child with a disability (who had an IEP that was in effect in a previous public agency in another State) transfers to a public agency in a new State, and enrolls in a new school within the same school year, the new public agency (in consultation with the parents) must provide the child with FAPE (including services comparable to those described in the child’s IEP from the previous public agency), until the new public agency—
(1) Conducts an evaluation pursuant to §§300.304 through 300.306 (if determined to be necessary by the new public agency); and
(2) Develops, adopts, and implements a new IEP, if appropriate, that meets the applicable requirements in §§300.320 through 300.324.”
Are there DoDEA schools in San Diego?
No. Military families stationed in and around San Diego — Naval Base San Diego, North Island Naval Air Station, Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Silver Strand Training Complex, Camp Pendleton, Sector San Diego, and MCAS Miramar — enroll in San Diego-area public school districts. DoDEA support on this site is for families stationed at DoDEA schools elsewhere — Americas, Europe, or the Pacific.
Do you attend IEP meetings virtually?
Yes, for both public school and DoDEA families, anywhere in the world.
What does it cost to get started?
It depends on which track fits your family. Any location strategy sessions are $150 for one hour. My basic retainer outside of a 1-hour consult is $1,000.00, billed at $150 per hour. See the San Diego or DoDEA page for details specific to your situation.
FAQ
Do you work with families at every San Diego base, or just certain ones?
Every base. Whether you’re at Naval Base San Diego, Coronado, Point Loma, Miramar, MCRD, or Camp Pendleton, IEP and 504 advocacy works the same way regardless of which installation you’re near — what matters is your child’s school district.
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 or 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 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.
My child’s district isn’t Coronado, San Diego Unified, or South Bay Union — can you still help?
Yes. IEP and 504 law works the same way across California districts. Reach out and we’ll talk through your specific situation.
Is support virtual, or do you meet in person?
Everything is virtual — consult calls, document review, and meeting attendance can all happen by phone or video, which matters when duty schedules and deployments make in-person coordination hard.
What if we PCS out of San Diego partway through the school year?
Advocacy travels with your family. We can carry the same support into your next district, and talk through what “comparable services” should look like at your new school under IDEA.
What does a strategy session cost?
$150 for a one-hour session — document review, meeting prep, or a working session on whatever’s most pressing right now. If you move into ongoing advocacy beyond that first session, my basic retainer is $1,000 up front, billed at $150 per hour.
Hilary Reese
When my daughter was three, I knew something was different. Getting her the right evaluations, IEP, and interventions took years — in a system not designed to make it easy. She’s now a thriving college student at Auburn University. That fight is why I built The Dyslexia Life, and why I now sit at the IEP table for other families, too. I’ve also closed dozens of PCS transactions across California — San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles — since 2006, so I pair real estate expertise with a working knowledge of IDEA and military family education law.
“When you know better, you do better.” — Maya Angelou
Ready to talk through your child’s IEP or 504?
Wherever you’re stationed in San Diego County, let’s talk. A one-hour strategy session is $150 — separate from any home search.
Book a 1-Hour Strategy Session — $150Hilary Reese
MRP | Paralegal · The Dyslexia Life
DRE 01742054
hilarybreese@gmail.com · 404-987-7658
Serving San Diego County families, nationwide advocacy, + DoDEA/DoWEA worldwide
PCS IEP Help| DODEA SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCATE 