Special education and Section 504 advocates for Hattiesburg Public School District families in Hattiesburg.
3 virtual advocates who work with Mississippi schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
Families in Hattiesburg and Biloxi 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.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Hattiesburg team ever sits down.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
These advocates are not based in Mississippi. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Coraopolis, PA · works with Mississippi schools
Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Special Education Advocate
Hi there! I'm Brittany, owner and founder of Balanced Behaviors, LLC. I'm a Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Specialist in Pennsylvania with a Master’s in Special Education from Slippery Rock…
Virtual · based in San Diego, CA · works with Mississippi 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 Leonardtown, MD · works with Mississippi schools
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…
See all 26 virtual advocates who work with Mississippi families
8 public schools inside Hattiesburg belong to Hattiesburg Public School District. 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.
A Biloxi 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. Hattiesburg addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
The clock that matters starts when you sign consent. In Mississippi it runs 60 calendar days.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Hattiesburg meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
Mississippi gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 14 calendar days to meet on the request, then 7 calendar days to issue written prior notice. Missed deadlines are handled by the Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
The Mississippi Department of Education oversees special education in Mississippi. 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 do not decide complaints. The Mississippi Department of Education does, and only after someone files one in writing.
Hattiesburg Public School District is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
Video is normal now. 26 of the advocates listed for Hattiesburg work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in a Hattiesburg Public School District 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 Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 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 Hattiesburg?
Most Hattiesburg families work with Hattiesburg Public School District. 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?
Mississippi sets its own deadline and it is 60 calendar days. 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 Hattiesburg?
Nearly every advocate on this page takes both. Compare profiles for experience with accommodations, 504 meetings and school compliance, and ask the school in writing before you bring anyone to a 504 meeting.
What should I bring to the IEP meeting?
Write down the two things you want changed and bring the paperwork that shows why. Meetings run long when nobody in the room has decided what the ask is.
Official Mississippi links for parents in Hattiesburg.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Mississippi rules apply in Biloxi, Southaven, Gulfport, Olive Branch and the other cities listed here, or see every Mississippi advocate.
Print the current IEP and bring it to the first call. Every advocate on the Hattiesburg list will ask for it.
Have the most recent Hattiesburg Public School District progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
