Ballou Education is a special education advocate in Tempe. IEP and 504 advocacy for Tempe, Kyrene and Tempe Union families, from preschool through high school.
Tempe is unusual in Arizona: students move through separate elementary and high school districts, and many families also pass through Kyrene on the way. Each transition is a fresh team, a fresh file review and a fresh chance for services to get lost.
We help Tempe families manage those handoffs. That means making sure the IEP that ends elementary school is the IEP that begins middle school, that related services continue without gaps, and that the receiving team understands the child rather than just the eligibility category.
Tempe also has a significant population of university families, international families and students who are bilingual or multilingual. Distinguishing language difference from language disability is one of the most consequential evaluation questions in this city, and it is frequently done badly. We help families ask for evaluations that separate the two.
Transition years matter most: the move into kindergarten, into middle school and into high school are the three points where Tempe families most often lose services. Plan for them a semester early.
Document review, goal writing support and meeting attendance at every level.
Explore IEP advocacyAccommodations for ADHD, anxiety, chronic health conditions and recovery.
Explore 504 advocacyEvaluations that distinguish language acquisition from language-based learning disability.
Explore evaluationsKindergarten, middle school, high school and post-secondary transitions.
Explore transition helpSuspension, expulsion and manifestation determination reviews.
Explore discipline helpA focused session with a written agenda and clear priorities.
Prepare for a meetingServes central and south Tempe at the elementary and middle school levels.
Serves south Tempe and west Chandler with elementary and middle school programs.
Serves high school students across Tempe, including several comprehensive and specialized campuses.
Tempe has a strong charter presence and many university-affiliated families navigating both systems.
We read the file and explain what it does and does not prove.
We build the written requests and the agenda before the meeting.
We document decisions and monitor implementation.
It depends on your child’s grade and address. Tempe Elementary, Kyrene and Tempe Union High School District each serve different grade bands. We help families confirm which district is responsible before a request is sent.
That requires an evaluation that looks at both languages and compares your child to typical bilingual development, not just English-speaking peers. A language difference alone is not a disability.
ESY is available when a student would regress significantly without summer services. The team must consider it annually, and the decision should be documented with data.
Book a free consultation and bring whatever documents you have. We will take it from there.
