Based in Austin, TX
Chelsea Venegas
Educational Advocate
Chelsea Venegas is a special education advocate serving families in Austin, TX.
- From $175 per hour
- Meets by video or phone
IEP advocates in Tyler, Texas
Tyler ISD staff run the IEP meetings in Tyler. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
5 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
What an advocate does for a Tyler family
The job is plain. An advocate knows what services the school owes your child and asks for them in writing.
Tyler is the 39th-largest city in Texas. 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.
What the work looks like
Advocates also coach. Some Tyler parents hire one for two hours of prep and go into the meeting alone.
Tyler ISD can charge for copies of a file. Asking to inspect the record in person instead costs nothing under federal rules.
Advocates based in Texas
No advocate in this directory lists Tyler as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Texas, and each card names the city.
Based in Austin, TX
David Gonzales
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.
- From $50 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Based in Midland, TX
Kate Keenan
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
- From $75 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual advocates who work with Texas families
These advocates are not based in Texas. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Hawthorne, NJ · works with Texas schools
Dalia Rodriguez
IEP Consultant, School Social Worker, Advocacy
I am a Child Study Team School Social Worker, with a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. I have core competencies in special education law, mental health, and behavioral health.
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability
- Contact for rate
- Meets by video or phone
Virtual · based in Leesburg, FL · works with Texas schools
Evelyn Roman-Santos
CEO IEP Advocate Espanol
Evelyn Roman-Santos is a bilingual Special Education Advocate with 30 years of experience as a School Social Worker.
- From $120 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with Texas schools
Russell Lloyd
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.
- Anxiety, ADHD / Attention, Autism Spectrum, Behavioral & Emotional
- From $95 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Which district is in the room
Tyler ISD runs the IEP meetings for most Tyler students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Charter and magnet enrollment changes who owes the service. Ask which agency is responsible before the first meeting.
- District Tyler ISD
- County Smith County
- Public schools inside Tyler 24
- Size Tyler is the 39th-largest city in Texas by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Midland, TX
Confirm your child's district by address. Tyler addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
The deadlines that apply in Texas
Federal law lets a state write its own evaluation deadline instead of using the national one. What Texas actually requires is 45 school days.
Ask the Tyler team for the evaluation report before the meeting, not at it, because nobody reads a long report accurately while the rest of the team waits.
Texas gives a school district 45 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 15 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Texas Education Agency, Office of Special Populations and Student Supports, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Who licenses advocates in Texas
Attorneys are licensed. Advocates hold no license, and the difference matters most when a case gets close to a hearing, which is the point where the Tyler district starts talking to its own lawyer.
Advocates who work Beaumont and here see the same state rules twice a week. Repetition inside one state is the practice worth paying for.
What an advocate cannot do
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in Tyler can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
What worked for a family in Beaumont may not fit yours. Ask the advocate what is different about your file before you copy anyone.
Local advocates and video advocates
Rates and openings decide most of this. An advocate who cannot meet before your Tyler meeting date is the wrong hire, and the second-best advocate who is free this month usually beats the best one who is not.
Read a profile for what the advocate actually did, not for what the profile claims. Case detail is the tell.
Tyler IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Tyler, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in Tyler?
Flat fees are common for a single meeting and hourly billing is common for everything else. Many advocates give a free first call. Nobody bills you through this site, so ask each person how they invoice.
Can an advocate join an IEP meeting by video?
Yes, with one condition. The school has to agree to the meeting format, so put the request in writing before the date is set.
Which school district serves Tyler, Texas?
Most of the city sits inside Tyler ISD. The district writes the plan and holds the special education budget, which is why a complaint about a missed service names the district and not the school.
Do advocates handle accommodation plans?
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 records should I ask for before an IEP meeting?
Ask for the full file, which means every evaluation, the progress data behind each goal and any email where the school said no. Put it in writing and keep the date.
Official special education resources in Texas
Official Texas links for parents in Tyler.
Sources for the Texas rules on this page
- 19 TAC Chapter 89, Subchapter AA, currently in effect (TEA) (19 TAC 89.1011(d)(1))
- TEA, Full and Individual Initial Evaluation timeline (19 TAC 89.1011(d)(1) and Tex. Educ. Code 29.004(a)(1))
- TEA special education complaints process
- TEA special education
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
Nearby cities in Texas
The same Texas rules apply in Beaumont, Sugar Land, Allen, Georgetown and the other cities listed here, or see every Texas advocate.
What to do next
Start with two calls, not six. Ask each advocate what they would do first with a Tyler file, and hire the one whose answer is specific enough that you could write it down as a task.
Two questions sort most of this out. What would you do first with this file, and what does that cost.
