New York City Public Schools staff run the IEP meetings in Staten Island. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
1 based in New York · 3 virtual advocates who work with New York 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.
Staten Island 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.
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence a Staten Island team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
No advocate in this directory lists Staten Island as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of New York, and each card names the city.
Based in New York, NY
Special Education Advocate
Clara Liriano, M.S., is a Special Education Advocate and New York State Certified Special Education Teacher with more than 20 years of experience supporting children and individuals with…
These advocates are not based in New York. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Springfield, MA · works with New York schools
N/A
My parent advocacy experience in special education began with students diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, assisting parents with IEP language, asking the appropriate questions to get the answers they…
Virtual · based in Buford, GA · works with New York 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.
Virtual · based in Oscoda, MI · works with New York schools
Special Education Advocate | Certified Neurodiversity Coach | Certified Neuropsychology Coach
Michelle Velazquez is a Special Education Advocate, Educational Consultant, Master IEP Coach®, and Certified Neurodiversity and Neuropsychology Coach.
See all 30 virtual advocates who work with New York families
New York City Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Staten Island students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Families who move between Bronx and here change districts, and the new team is not required to keep the old plan word for word.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
No New York deadline applies to a written evaluation request. Federal rules still require a response within a reasonable time.
Write down what you want the school to add, in one page, before you walk into the Staten Island meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
New York gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No New York 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 New York State Education Department, Office of Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
The New York State Education Department oversees special education in New York. 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 do not decide complaints. The New York State Education Department does, and only after someone files one in writing.
New York City Public Schools is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
Being listed for New York is not the same as taking Staten Island cases, so read the service area on each of the 1 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in a New York City 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 Staten Island, New York, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Staten Island, New York?
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 we work with an advocate who lives outside New York?
Video is normal now. A remote advocate reads the file, drafts your concerns and joins the meeting by phone. What a remote advocate cannot do is walk the building or read the room.
Who runs special education for Staten Island schools?
New York City Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Staten Island students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
What is the evaluation deadline in New York?
The rule here is 60 calendar days. It covers the evaluation only. Writing the plan after a child is found eligible is a separate step with its own timing.
What is the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?
An IEP provides specialized instruction and related services under IDEA. A 504 plan provides accommodations under a civil rights law and does not require specialized instruction. Eligibility rules differ, so a child can qualify for one and not the other.
Official New York links for parents in Staten Island.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same New York rules apply in Bronx, Buffalo, Manhattan, Yonkers and the other cities listed here, or see every New York advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Staten Island and Bronx. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Have the most recent New York City Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
