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
Hiring one is optional. Nothing in federal law requires a parent to bring an advocate to an IEP meeting.
The search usually starts the week a parent reads an evaluation report and cannot tell from it whether Baltimore schools are offering enough.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Baltimore team ever sits down.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
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 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.
Virtual · based in Arlington Heights, IL · works with Maryland schools
Special Education Advocate
I am a former special education teacher, with experience in public and therapeutic day schools.
See all 25 virtual advocates who work with Maryland families
Baltimore City Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Baltimore students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Families who move between Columbia and here change districts, and the new team is not required to keep the old plan word for word.
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.
The Maryland State Department of Education oversees special education in Maryland. It does not license the advocates parents hire.
Check the references and not the letters after the name. Two calls to past clients settle it faster than any credential list.
Advocates do not decide complaints. The Maryland State Department of Education does, and only after someone files one in writing.
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.
Experience with Baltimore City Public Schools matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Baltimore, Maryland, 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.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Baltimore?
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.
How many days does an initial evaluation take?
Maryland sets its own deadline and it is 60 days after parental consent and 90 days after the written referral. 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 Baltimore?
Yes, and the rules differ slightly. Section 504 does not spell out who may attend the way IDEA does, so ask the school in writing before the meeting and keep the answer.
How do I file a state special education complaint in Maryland?
Three routes stay open when you disagree. Mediation is voluntary for both sides, a written state complaint is decided on the record by the Maryland State Department of Education, and a due process hearing takes evidence.
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.
You are not limited to advocates inside Baltimore. The closest listed office is in Leonardtown, and distance matters less than whether that person has worked a case in your district.
Have the most recent Baltimore City Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
