Palatine CCSD 15 staff run the IEP meetings in Palatine. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
3 based in Illinois · 3 virtual advocates who work with Illinois schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
Palatine parents tend to call at one of two moments. The first is before an initial evaluation and the second is after a service quietly disappears from the plan.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Palatine team ever sits down.
Read the evaluation report twice. The second read is where the missing service usually shows up.
No advocate in this directory lists Palatine 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 Austin, TX · works with Illinois schools
Special Education Advocate
Hi, My name is David Gonzales. Living in Austin, TX, but originally from Los Angeles, CA. I carry a masters degree in special education and currently practice as a sped teacher.
Virtual · based in Midland, TX · works with Illinois schools
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
Virtual · based in Newcastle, OK · works with Illinois schools
Special Education Advocate - IEP Consultant
Former special education teacher and educational advocate with experience on both sides of the IEP table.
See all 22 virtual advocates who work with Illinois families
Palatine CCSD 15 takes most Palatine 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.
Families who move between Decatur and here change districts, and the new team is not required to keep the old plan word for word.
Confirm your child's district by address. Palatine 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.
If the Palatine team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
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.
No state license exists for special education advocacy. No federal agency issues one either, and no exam stands between a person and the title.
Membership in a professional body is not a licence. It usually means dues were paid and a code of conduct was signed.
Advocates charge for this. At $75 to $150 per hour, a standard IEP cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400, and that money does not come back if the answer is still no.
Advocates who have never seen the file cannot tell you what is missing from it. Send the records first and book the call second.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Illinois rules is usually a better hire for Palatine than a local one who does not.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in a Palatine CCSD 15 meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Palatine, Illinois, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much should I budget for one IEP meeting?
Most advocates on this directory charge $75 to $150 per hour. A standard cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400. Travel and extra meetings cost more.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Palatine?
Most Palatine families work with Palatine CCSD 15. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
Does the state provide a free advocate?
Every state has a federally funded Parent Training and Information Center that answers questions at no charge. Free help usually means general guidance rather than somebody sitting next to you in the meeting.
Is a 504 plan weaker than an IEP?
The short version. IEP means the school changes what is taught and how, and Section 504 means the school changes the conditions around it.
What should I bring to the IEP meeting?
Write down the two things you want changed and bring the paperwork that shows why. Meetings run long when nobody in the room has decided what the ask is.
Official Illinois links for parents in Palatine.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Illinois rules apply in Decatur, Skokie, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines and the other cities listed here, or see every Illinois advocate.
If nobody here fits, check the Decatur page next. The same Illinois rules apply there.
Have the most recent Palatine CCSD 15 progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
