Special education and Section 504 advocates for Baltimore City Public Schools families in Baltimore.
1 based in Maryland · 3 virtual advocates who work with Maryland schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
The search usually starts the week a parent reads an evaluation report and cannot tell from it whether Baltimore schools are offering enough.
After the meeting the work is dull. The advocate reads the draft against the notes and sends a correction back the same week.
Request the full file in writing before you hire anyone. Schools have to give parents the education records they keep.
No advocate in this directory lists Baltimore as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Maryland, and each card names the city.
Based in Leonardtown, MD
Special Education Advocate
Douglas Hubscher is the Founder and President of Kids Are First, LLC, a special education advocacy firm dedicated to helping families navigate the IEP and 504 process with confidence, clarity, and…
These advocates are not based in Maryland. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in New York, NY · works with Maryland 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 Oscoda, MI · works with Maryland schools
Special Education Advocate | Certified Neurodiversity Coach | Certified Neuropsychology Coach
Michelle Velazquez is a Special Education Advocate, Educational Consultant, Master IEP Coach®, and Certified Neurodiversity and Neuropsychology Coach.
Virtual · based in Los Angeles, CA · works with Maryland schools
Strategic Special Education Advocate
I combine the precision of a Columbia Law attorney with over a decade of special education leadership to help Los Angeles families navigate the IEP process with clarity, confidence, and results.
See all 30 virtual advocates who work with Maryland families
109 public schools inside Baltimore belong to Baltimore City Public 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.
Parents in Columbia face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
Confirm your child's district by address. Baltimore addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
Federal law lets a state write its own evaluation deadline instead of using the national one. What Maryland actually requires is 60 days after parental consent and 90 days after the written referral.
If the Baltimore team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
Maryland gives a school district 60 days after parental consent and 90 days after the written referral to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Maryland 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 Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
No state license exists for special education advocacy. No federal agency issues one either, and no exam stands between a person and the title.
Check the references and not the letters after the name. Two calls to past clients settle it faster than any credential list.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Baltimore. Anyone who does is selling you something.
Advocates who have never seen the file cannot tell you what is missing from it. Send the records first and book the call second.
Being listed for Maryland is not the same as taking Baltimore cases, so read the service area on each of the 1 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Advocates who take Columbia 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 Baltimore, Maryland, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Baltimore, Maryland?
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.
Who runs special education for Baltimore schools?
Baltimore City Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Baltimore 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 Maryland?
The rule here is 60 days after parental consent and 90 days after the written referral. It covers the evaluation only. Writing the plan after a child is found eligible is a separate step with its own timing.
Are there free IEP advocates in Baltimore?
No public program assigns you a private advocate. The links under official resources on this page go to the state agency and to the complaint process, and both cost nothing to use.
Where does a written special education complaint go?
Written complaints go to the Maryland State Department of Education. It decides on the paperwork rather than at a hearing, so dates and documents are what the decision turns on.
Official Maryland links for parents in Baltimore.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Maryland rules apply in Columbia, Germantown, Frederick, Waldorf and the other cities listed here, or see every Maryland advocate.
If nobody here fits, check the Columbia page next. The same Maryland rules apply there.
Have the most recent Baltimore City Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
