Aurora East USD 131 staff run the IEP meetings in Aurora. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
3 based in Illinois · 3 virtual advocates who work with Illinois schools
An IEP advocate goes to school meetings with you and argues for services your child is not getting.
Aurora is the 2nd-largest city in Illinois. Size has nothing to do with how well a district runs its IEP meetings, and a small district with one experienced case manager often does better than a large one.
During an Aurora IEP meeting an advocate writes down what the team agrees to and asks for it in the document before anyone leaves the room.
Records live with Aurora East USD 131, not with the front office of one building, and a request addressed to the district gets a faster answer than one that is not.
No advocate in this directory lists Aurora as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Illinois, and each card names the city.
Based in Arlington Heights, IL
Special Education Advocate
I am a former special education teacher, with experience in public and therapeutic day schools.
Based in Inverness, IL
Special Education Advocate
I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University and a Master’s of Education from DePaul University, with a dual certification in elementary and…
Based in Bloomington, IL
Founder & Advocate
Jade is a former special education teacher who has taught everything from pre-k all the way to transition classrooms with students up to age 21.
These advocates are not based in Illinois. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Atlanta, GA · works with Illinois schools
Special Education Advocate
My name is Jalani Traxler and I have loved teaching sense I myself was a student with an IEP receiving my own accommodations in elementary school.
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with Illinois schools
Founder
I’m Russell Lloyd, founder of YourChild.org, author, mentor, and special education advocate. I review the record, find the gaps, build the strategy, prepare the parent, and lead IEP meetings.
Virtual · based in New York, NY · works with Illinois schools
Special Education Advocate
Clara Liriano, M.S., is a Special Education Advocate and New York State Certified Special Education Teacher with more than 20 years of experience supporting children and individuals with…
See all 22 virtual advocates who work with Illinois families
Aurora East USD 131 takes most Aurora 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.
Charter and magnet enrollment changes who owes the service. Ask which agency is responsible before the first meeting.
Confirm your child's district by address. Aurora addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
The clock that matters starts when you sign consent. In Illinois it runs 60 school days.
Keep every email. Most of what an advocate does with an Aurora file is date-stamping what the school already told you.
Illinois gives a school district 60 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 14 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Illinois State Board of Education, Special Education Department, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Certification programs exist and some advocates hold them. None of them is issued by the Illinois State Board of Education, Special Education Department, and none of them is required to sit in an Illinois IEP meeting.
A certificate says nothing about Aurora East USD 131. Ask instead what the advocate has filed there and what came back.
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in Aurora can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
Nobody can undo a meeting you already agreed to in writing. Read the page you are asked to sign before the room empties.
Video is normal now. 22 of the advocates listed for Aurora work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Distance is a scheduling problem and not a legal one. Meetings run by video whenever the parent and the school both agree to it.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Aurora, Illinois, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What is the hourly rate for a parent advocate?
Rates run $75 to $250 per hour. What moves the number is experience, the type of case, and whether anyone has to drive to the meeting. Profiles here show the rate when the advocate publishes one.
Can I hire a virtual advocate if we live in Aurora?
Yes, with one condition. The school has to agree to the meeting format, so put the request in writing before the date is set.
Does Aurora East USD 131 cover every Aurora address?
Most Aurora families work with Aurora East USD 131. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
What can I do if I cannot afford an advocate?
Free guidance exists. Parent centers, disability rights agencies and local parent groups all give it, and none of them will attend the meeting as your representative.
How do I get my child school records?
A district can charge for copies. Asking to inspect the record in person costs nothing under federal rules, and it is usually faster than waiting for a copy set.
Official Illinois links for parents in Aurora.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Illinois rules apply in Chicago, Naperville, Joliet, Rockford and the other cities listed here, or see every Illinois advocate.
Print the current IEP and bring it to the first call. Every advocate on the Aurora list will ask for it.
Do not sign anything at the first meeting if you are unsure. Consent can wait a day.
