Prince George's County Public Schools staff run the IEP meetings in Fort Washington. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
1 based in Maryland · 3 virtual advocates who work with Maryland schools
An IEP advocate goes to school meetings with you and argues for services your child is not getting.
Parents in Fort Washington usually start looking for an advocate when a meeting is already on the calendar.
During a Fort Washington IEP meeting an advocate writes down what the team agrees to and asks for it in the document before anyone leaves the room.
Prince George's County Public Schools keeps progress data on every goal in the plan. Ask for it as a table of dates and numbers rather than a paragraph.
No advocate in this directory lists Fort Washington 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 Hialeah, FL · works with Maryland schools
Advocate
I look forward to helping families and their students get the crucial support they need. I have varied experience working with families and educators at the state and local levels.
Virtual · based in Newcastle, OK · works with Maryland 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 Buford, GA · works with Maryland schools
Georgia Special Education & IEP Advocate
Dr. Mary Jo Ray-Jewett is the owner and lead advocate of The IEP Guru, LLC, providing special education advocacy throughout Georgia.
See all 30 virtual advocates who work with Maryland families
12 public schools inside Fort Washington belong to Prince George's County 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.
Buildings do not fund services and districts do. Ask which office is deciding before you spend a meeting arguing with the wrong one.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
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.
Ask the Fort Washington team for the evaluation report before the meeting, not at it, because nobody reads a long report accurately while the rest of the team waits.
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.
Certification programs exist and some advocates hold them. None of them is issued by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education, and none of them is required to sit in a Maryland IEP meeting.
Prince George's County Public Schools does not approve or bar advocates. Federal rules let a parent bring anyone with knowledge of the child to the meeting.
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in Fort Washington can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
What worked for a family in Crofton may not fit yours. Ask the advocate what is different about your file before you copy anyone.
Video is normal now. 30 of the advocates listed for Fort Washington 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.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Fort Washington, Maryland, 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.
Does Prince George's County Public Schools cover every Fort Washington address?
Most of the city sits inside Prince George's County Public Schools. The district writes the plan and holds the special education budget, which is why a complaint about a missed service names the district and not the school.
How do I know where an advocate actually works from?
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.
Can an advocate help with a 504 plan and not an IEP?
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 get my child school records?
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.
Official Maryland links for parents in Fort Washington.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Maryland rules apply in Crofton, Glenn Dale, Beltsville, Lanham and the other cities listed here, or see every Maryland advocate.
Print the current IEP and bring it to the first call. Every advocate on the Fort Washington list will ask for it.
Two questions sort most of this out. What would you do first with this file, and what does that cost.
