Advocates here work with Towson families and Baltimore County Public Schools teams. Each profile lists a rate when the advocate shares one.
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.
Towson parents tend to call at one of two moments. The first is before an initial evaluation and the second is after a service quietly disappears from the plan.
Before the meeting an advocate reads the current IEP against the evaluation reports, pulls the progress data to see whether the goals are actually being met, writes your concerns into one page, and sends it to the team in advance.
Baltimore County Public Schools can charge for copies of a file. Asking to inspect the record in person instead costs nothing under federal rules.
No advocate in this directory lists Towson 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 Austin, TX · works with Maryland schools
Special Education Advocate
Hi, My name is David Gonzales. Living in Austin, TX, but originally from Los Angeles, CA. I carry a masters degree in special education and currently practice as a sped teacher.
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 Kansas City, MO · works with Maryland schools
Navigate Special Education with Clarity and Confidence - Guiding Families. Building Futures.
Dr. Diane is a special education advocate and founder of Steppingstone Services, LLC. She holds a Ph.D.
See all 24 virtual advocates who work with Maryland families
3 public schools inside Towson belong to Baltimore 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.
District lines and city lines are not the same thing. A street can sit inside one city and be zoned to the district next door.
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.
Keep every email. Most of what an advocate does with a Towson file is date-stamping what the school already told you.
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.
Maryland does not license or certify special education advocates. Anyone in Towson can print a card with the word advocate on it.
A certificate says nothing about Baltimore County Public Schools. Ask instead what the advocate has filed there and what came back.
Hiring an advocate does not pause a deadline or undo a meeting that already happened. The work starts from wherever the Towson file sits today.
What worked for a family in Bethesda may not fit yours. Ask the advocate what is different about your file before you copy anyone.
Video is normal now. 24 of the advocates listed for Towson work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Ask for two references from cases like yours. Somebody who cannot produce one has not worked many.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Towson, Maryland, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What is the hourly rate for a parent advocate?
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.
Is an IEP advocate a type of lawyer?
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.
Does Baltimore County Public Schools cover every Towson address?
Most Towson families work with Baltimore County Public Schools. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
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 Towson.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Maryland rules apply in Bethesda, Bowie, Hagerstown, Rockville 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 Towson 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.
