Blog
December 1, 2024

Introducing Friendly Filing

Empowering parents and advocates with simple, effective special education advocacy tools

Julian Moreira
Founder
4 min read

Hi! I'm Julian Moreira, and I'm thrilled to introduce you to Friendly Filing, a web-based application designed to empower parents and advocates to file IDEA Part B state complaints with confidence and clarity.

Over the past year, I've been working tirelessly to build this platform, driven by the belief that every parent has the power to transform their child's educational experience.

According to the latest publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education, over 6,000 state complaints were filed nationwide during the last reporting period. That's more than 6,000 families standing up for their children's rights, impacting not just those students but also countless others—teachers, administrators, and education leaders at all levels.

Each complaint represents a ripple effect of change that begins with one parent's voice being heard.

I've witnessed this impact firsthand. In 2019, I served as a complaint investigator at the Florida Department of Education. By March 2020, I was promoted to Program Director, overseeing one of Florida's two dispute resolution teams. For two years, I worked closely with families, educators, and administrators to navigate complex special education disputes. In spring 2022, I transitioned to supporting district and school-based teams on the ground. These experiences solidified my belief in the transformative power of the state complaint process—and the critical need to make it more accessible and user-friendly.

That belief is what inspired Friendly Filing.

Our Mission: Empower Parents, Get Better Results for Students

The heart of Friendly Filing is about helping families, advocates, and educators advocate for the well-being, dignity, and education of students with disabilities.

The state complaint process is a vital tool in this advocacy. It's a legally required dispute resolution option available to parents and the public at large. But let's be honest: it's often confusing, adversarial, and unnecessarily complicated.

How Friendly Filing Helps

Here's what we offer to make the process more manageable and impactful for parents: filing complaints is free, with guided forms that simplify the process into clear steps. We help craft precise allegations and actionable resolutions, handle direct filing to state and local officials, and provide transparent timelines, task management, and resources for early resolution. Parents can store critical contacts in one place for convenience.

In addition, Friendly Filing also supports advocates by offering tools for client management, reminders, notes, and analytics to track and enhance case success and, ultimately, get better outcomes for students with disabilities.

Our Design Philosophy:
Putting Parents First

Friendly Filing is built with parents at the heart of every decision.

Dispute resolution is rarely easy—it can feel frustrating, clinical, and impersonal. That’s why we’re on a mission to change the status quo with tools and services that bring clarity, simplicity, and better outcomes for families.

We design future-forward solutions that are intelligent, effective, and playful. By respecting parents’ time and amplifying their voices, we make tough situations more approachable—and yes, more friendly.

Get Started For Free

Today marks the start of something new, and we'd love to hear from you. Your feedback is invaluable as we grow Friendly Filing into a tool that truly meets your needs.

Thank you for reading—and for giving Friendly Filing a try.