Special education and Section 504 advocates for Anne Arundel County Public Schools families in Severn.
1 based in Maryland · 3 virtual advocates who work with Maryland schools
Advocates get hired after a meeting goes badly, rarely before the first one, which is why most of them start by reading a file that already carries a year of history in it.
Most of the work happens before anyone sits down in a Severn conference room.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Severn team ever sits down.
Read the evaluation report twice. The second read is where the missing service usually shows up.
No advocate in this directory lists Severn 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 Hawthorne, NJ · works with Maryland schools
IEP Consultant, School Social Worker, Advocacy
I am a Child Study Team School Social Worker, with a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. I have core competencies in special education law, mental health, and behavioral health.
Virtual · based in Bloomington, IL · works with Maryland schools
Founder & Advocate
Jade is a former special education teacher who has taught everything from pre-k all the way to transition classrooms with students up to age 21.
See all 24 virtual advocates who work with Maryland families
Anne Arundel County Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Severn students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Parents in Odenton face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
The deadline for finishing an initial evaluation in Maryland is 60 days after parental consent and 90 days after the written referral. Put that date on your calendar the day the paperwork goes in.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Severn meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
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.
Ask what training the advocate actually finished and who ran it. A one-day webinar and a two-year program both end in a certificate.
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.
Advocates who have never seen the file cannot tell you what is missing from it. Send the records first and book the call second.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Maryland rules is usually a better hire for Severn than a local one who does not.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in an Anne Arundel 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 Severn, 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.
Can an advocate represent me at a due process hearing in Maryland?
No. Advocates prepare for meetings, read the records and negotiate with the district. Attorneys file due process complaints and appear at hearings, which an advocate cannot do.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Severn?
Most Severn families work with Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
How many days does an initial evaluation take?
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.
Does the state provide a free advocate?
Free guidance exists. Parent centers, disability rights agencies and local parent groups all give it, and none of them will attend the meeting as your representative.
Official Maryland links for parents in Severn.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Maryland rules apply in Odenton, Mitchellville, Largo, Lanham and the other cities listed here, or see every Maryland advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Severn and Odenton. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Have the most recent Anne Arundel County Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
