Novi Community School District staff run the IEP meetings in Novi. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
3 virtual advocates who work with Michigan schools
Advocates get hired after a meeting goes badly, rarely before the first one, which is why most of them start by reading a file that already carries a year of history in it.
Families in Novi and Kalamazoo run into the same problem. The school says the current plan is working, and the progress report shows the same goal repeated from last year with the same numbers under it.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Novi team ever sits down.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
These advocates are not based in Michigan. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Leesburg, FL · works with Michigan schools
CEO IEP Advocate Espanol
Evelyn Roman-Santos is a bilingual Special Education Advocate with 30 years of experience as a School Social Worker.
Virtual · based in Bowie, MD · works with Michigan schools
Independent Education Consultant
I am a licensed school counselor with extensive experience supporting students with IEPs and 504 plans, providing academic and career counseling, and guiding families through critical educational…
Virtual · based in Atlanta, GA · works with Michigan 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.
See all 25 virtual advocates who work with Michigan families
8 public schools inside Novi belong to Novi Community School District. Each one has its own case manager and its own backlog, and the answer you get about scheduling depends on which building your child attends.
Families who move between Kalamazoo 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. Novi addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
Once you sign consent for testing, a Michigan district has 30 school days to finish an initial evaluation, and that clock does not stop because a case manager is out or the file went to the wrong building.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Novi meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
Michigan gives a school district 30 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 10 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Novi IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
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.
Novi Community School District is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Michigan rules is usually a better hire for Novi than a local one who does not.
Experience with Novi Community School District matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Novi, Michigan, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Novi, Michigan?
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.
What is the difference between an IEP advocate and a special education attorney?
No. Advocates prepare for meetings, read the records and negotiate with the district. Attorneys file due process complaints and appear at hearings, which an advocate cannot do.
Who runs special education for Novi schools?
Novi Community School District runs the IEP meetings for most Novi students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
Can I bring an advocate to a Section 504 meeting?
Nearly every advocate on this page takes both. Compare profiles for experience with accommodations, 504 meetings and school compliance, and ask the school in writing before you bring anyone to a 504 meeting.
What is the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?
The short version. IEP means the school changes what is taught and how, and Section 504 means the school changes the conditions around it.
Official Michigan links for parents in Novi.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Michigan rules apply in Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Grand Blanc, Southfield and the other cities listed here, or see every Michigan advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Novi and Kalamazoo. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Free calls are common. Use them to compare people, not to collect advice for nothing.
