Special education and Section 504 advocates for Montgomery County Public Schools families in Rockville.
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.
Families in Rockville and Bethesda run into the same problem. The school says the current plan is working, and the progress report shows the same goal repeated from last year with the same numbers under it.
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 Rockville 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 Wesley Chapel, FL · works with Maryland schools
Special Education Advocate
With 24 years of experience in the K-12 sector, I serves as a Student Support Specialist specializing in academic and behavioral ESE services.
Virtual · based in San Diego, CA · works with Maryland 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.
Virtual · based in Philadelphia, PA · works with Maryland schools
Educational Consultant
I began this journey because my own daughter was issued an IEP in 3rd grade. I didn't understand special education.
See all 30 virtual advocates who work with Maryland families
Montgomery County Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Rockville students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
A Bethesda 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 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.
If the Rockville 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 charge for this. At $75 to $150 per hour, a standard IEP cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400, and that money does not come back if the answer is still no.
Montgomery County Public Schools is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Maryland rules is usually a better hire for Rockville than a local one who does not.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in a Montgomery County Public Schools meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Rockville, Maryland, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much should I budget for one IEP meeting?
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.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Rockville?
Montgomery County Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Rockville students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
How many advocates on this page are based in Maryland?
Every card on this page names the city the advocate works from. Advocates listed under the virtual heading live somewhere else and work with families here by video or phone.
Is a 504 plan weaker than an IEP?
The short version. IEP means the school changes what is taught and how, and Section 504 means the school changes the conditions around it.
What should I bring to the IEP meeting?
Start with a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will build the same thing, so writing it yourself saves an hour of billed time.
Official Maryland links for parents in Rockville.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Maryland rules apply in Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Ellicott City, Towson and the other cities listed here, or see every Maryland advocate.
If nobody here fits, check the Bethesda page next. The same Maryland rules apply there.
Have the most recent Montgomery County Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
