Advocates here work with Florence families and Florence City Schools teams. Each profile lists a rate when the advocate shares one.
3 virtual advocates who work with Alabama schools
Hiring one is optional. Nothing in federal law requires a parent to bring an advocate to an IEP meeting.
Florence 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.
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence a Florence team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
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 Alabama. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Inverness, IL · works with Alabama schools
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…
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with Alabama 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 San Diego, CA · works with Alabama schools
Special Education Advocate
At the Sanford Autism Advocacy Group (SAAG), we are a small but mighty special education consulting group with an emphasis on Autism and IEPs.
8 public schools inside Florence belong to Florence City Schools. 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.
A Decatur parent group can tell you how the same district handled a case like yours, which is worth more to read than a policy page.
Confirm your child's district by address. Florence addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
The deadline for finishing an initial evaluation in Alabama is 60 calendar days. Put that date on your calendar the day the paperwork goes in.
If the Florence team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
Alabama gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Alabama rule sets a separate deadline for answering a written request, so the federal reasonable-time standard is what applies. Missed deadlines are handled by the Alabama State Department of Education, Special Education Services, which takes written state complaints from parents.
The Alabama State Department of Education oversees special education in Alabama. It does not license the advocates parents hire.
Membership in a professional body is not a licence. It usually means dues were paid and a code of conduct was signed.
Advocates do not decide complaints. The Alabama State Department of Education does, and only after someone files one in writing.
You sign, not the advocate. Consent and the plan itself both need a parent signature.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Alabama rules is usually a better hire for Florence than a local one who does not.
Advocates who take Decatur cases usually take these too. Say where you are in the first email so nobody wastes a week finding out.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Florence, Alabama, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Florence, Alabama?
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.
Who runs special education for Florence schools?
Florence City Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Florence students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
What is the evaluation deadline in Alabama?
Alabama 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.
Where does a written special education complaint go?
The Alabama State Department of Education takes written complaints from parents about missed deadlines and services never delivered. An advocate can prepare one. The advocate does not decide it and cannot make the district settle.
What documents does an advocate need from me?
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.
Official Alabama links for parents in Florence.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Alabama rules apply in Decatur, Phenix City, Madison, Vestavia Hills and the other cities listed here, or see every Alabama advocate.
Print the current IEP and bring it to the first call. Every advocate on the Florence list will ask for it.
Free calls are common. Use them to compare people, not to collect advice for nothing.
