Find an advocate for your next Vermont IEP meeting. Advocates are not attorneys and cannot represent you in court.
8 virtual advocates who work with Vermont schools
The role is narrow and useful. An advocate knows what the school owes your child and holds the team to the date it agreed to.
Vermont is one state with one set of deadlines, and the district running your school is where the real answer comes from.
Coaching is common in Vermont. Some parents pay for two hours of prep and then walk into the meeting on their own.
The district can charge for copies. Asking to inspect the record in person costs nothing under federal rules.
These advocates are not based in Vermont. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Leesburg, FL · works with Vermont 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 Atlanta, GA · works with Vermont 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 Hawthorne, NJ · works with Vermont schools
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.
Virtual · based in Newcastle, OK · works with Vermont schools
Special Education Advocate - IEP Consultant
Former special education teacher and educational advocate with experience on both sides of the IEP table.
Virtual · based in New York, NY · works with Vermont 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…
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with Vermont 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 Bowie, MD · works with Vermont 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 Kansas City, MO · works with Vermont schools
Navigate Special Education with Clarity and Confidence - Guiding Families. Building Futures.
Dr. Diane is a special education advocate and founder of Steppingstone Services, LLC. She holds a Ph.D.
Every public school in Vermont answers to the same state agency, and a rule the district quotes at you can be checked against what that agency has actually published.
4,379 students in this state carry a specific learning disability, which is the largest single category in nearly every state.
The deadline for finishing an initial evaluation in Vermont is 60 calendar days. Put that date on the calendar the day the paperwork goes in.
Put the request in writing and date it. An email to the school counts as writing.
Vermont takes the complaint online. The Administrative Complaint Form is on Cognito Forms, and you can also email it to aoe.admincomplaintinfo@vermont.gov or mail it to the Secretary of Education, Agency of Education, 1 National Life Drive, Davis 5, Montpelier, VT 05620-2501. Vermont publishes the form in seven languages.
Decision timeline
Rule 2365.1.5 gives the Secretary 60 days from receipt. The Agency's own published procedures run those 60 days from acceptance instead, and the Agency will not accept a complaint that is missing the signature or the copy to your district.
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 license. It usually means dues were paid and a code of conduct was signed.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Vermont. Anyone who does is selling you something.
A district is allowed to say no. What it cannot do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
No advocate covers every district. A remote advocate who knows Vermont rules is usually a better hire than a local one who does not.
Somebody who takes Burlington cases usually takes cases in the towns around it, so say where you are in the first email.
No rule ties an advocate to an address inside the state. What matters is whether the person knows the state deadlines and the district habits.
Travel is the line item parents notice. Removing it usually takes a few hundred dollars off a standard engagement.
How it works
Find Parent Advocates is a free directory, not a referral service. You browse profiles, compare rates and reviews, and contact the advocate you choose. We do not assign anyone to you.
Browse
Start with the list on this page and open two or three profiles.
Contact
Contact the advocate directly. Nothing on this site routes your message through us.
Hire
Confirm what the first task will be and what it costs. A vague answer here predicts a vague invoice.
Work together
The advocate follows up after the meeting. Reading the draft against the notes is where corrections get caught.
Find Parent Advocates is not a party to your contractual relationship with the advocate. We are not responsible for the fees or services provided.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Vermont, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much should I budget for one IEP meeting?
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.
Is remote IEP advocacy allowed?
Video is normal now. A remote advocate reads the file, drafts your concerns and joins the meeting by phone. What a remote advocate cannot do is walk the building or read the room.
How many days does an initial evaluation take?
Vermont sets its own deadline and it is 60 calendar days. Federal law lets a state do that, so a timeline a parent reads on a national site may not be the one running here.
Do advocates here work on Section 504 plans in Vermont?
Yes. Section 504 work looks the same as IEP work, which is records, a written request and somebody in the room who knows what the school already agreed to.
What is the fastest way to see the school file?
Ask in writing and address it to the district rather than the front office. Schools have to let parents inspect the education records they keep, and inspection has to happen before the next IEP meeting.
Is a 504 plan weaker than an IEP?
An IEP is the stronger document because it carries goals, service minutes and progress reporting. Section 504 plans are faster to write and easier for a district to agree to.
These links connect you to your state education agency and complaint options. Advocates on this page can also explain what each step means for your child.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
