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
Nobody is required to bring one. Federal law lets a parent walk into an IEP meeting alone.
Families across Vermont call for the same two reasons. A school has said no to testing, or a service that used to be in the plan is gone.
After the meeting the work is dull. The draft comes back and somebody has to read it against the notes and send a correction the same week.
Read the report a second time. What is missing usually turns up on that pass and not the first one.
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 Philadelphia, PA · works with Vermont schools
Educational Consultant
I began this journey because my own daughter was issued an IEP in 3rd grade. I didn't understand special education.
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 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.
A written state complaint goes to the Vermont Agency of Education, Special Education Team and not to the school your child attends.
Public schools in this state served 14,623 students under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2023-24.
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.
Ask for the evaluation report before the meeting rather than at it, because nobody reads a long report accurately while the rest of the team waits.
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.
Attorneys are licensed. Advocates in Vermont are not, and the difference matters most when a case gets close to a hearing and the district starts talking to its own lawyer.
A certificate says nothing about Burlington. Ask what the advocate has filed with a district here and what came back.
Hiring somebody does not pause a deadline or undo a meeting that already happened. The work starts from wherever the file sits today.
What worked for a family in Burlington may not fit yours, and the first thing worth asking an advocate is what is different about your file.
Video is normal now. 27 of the advocates listed for Vermont 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.
Remote work is normal in special education now. Documents move by email and the meeting runs on a call.
Distance changes the cost and not the law. Somebody working remotely bills for reading and for the meeting, and never for the drive.
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
Read the profiles on this page. Rates, service area and case history are the three worth comparing.
Contact
Write to two people rather than six. The first email should carry the district and the meeting date.
Hire
You hire the advocate directly. The agreement is between the two of you.
Work together
Send the file, take the prep call and go into the meeting with a written list.
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.
What is the hourly rate for a parent advocate?
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.
How many advocates on this page are based in Vermont?
No advocate is listed in every town, and each card here says where that person lives. Somebody who knows the state rules and has an opening this month usually beats the nearest name on the list.
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.
Which plan covers therapy and specialized instruction?
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.
Who investigates a school for missing an IEP deadline?
Three routes stay open when you disagree. Mediation is voluntary for both sides, a written state complaint is decided on the record by the Vermont Agency of Education, and a due process hearing takes evidence.
What should I have ready before the first call with an advocate?
Bring the current IEP or 504 plan, the most recent evaluation report, the last two progress reports and any email where the school said no. An advocate who has those before the call can tell you what is missing in ten minutes.
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.
