Based in Harrisburg, PA
Boaz Gregory
Special Education Advocate
I’m a special education teacher with experience supporting students with behavioral, intellectual, and learning needs.
- From $100 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
IEP advocates in Chester, Pennsylvania
Special education and Section 504 advocates for Chester-Upland School District families in Chester.
3 based in Pennsylvania · 3 virtual advocates who work with Pennsylvania schools
What an advocate does for a Chester family
An IEP advocate goes to school meetings with you and argues for services your child is not getting.
Chester is the 15th-largest city in Pennsylvania. Size has nothing to do with how well a district runs its IEP meetings, and a small district with one experienced case manager often does better than a large one.
What the work looks like
During a Chester IEP meeting an advocate writes down what the team agrees to and asks for it in the document before anyone leaves the room.
Records live with Chester-Upland School District, not with the front office of one building, and a request addressed to the district gets a faster answer than one that is not.
Advocates based in Pennsylvania
No advocate in this directory lists Chester as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Pennsylvania, and each card names the city.
Based in Coraopolis, PA
Brittany Maurizi
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…
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability
- From $75 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets in person or by video
Based in Philadelphia, PA
Karen McCree
Educational Consultant
I began this journey because my own daughter was issued an IEP in 3rd grade. I didn't understand special education.
- ADHD / Attention, Autism Spectrum, Behavioral & Emotional, Behavioral Support
- From $100 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual advocates who work with Pennsylvania families
These advocates are not based in Pennsylvania. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Los Angeles, CA · works with Pennsylvania schools
Sara Westin
Strategic Special Education Advocate
I combine the precision of a Columbia Law attorney with over a decade of special education leadership to help Los Angeles families navigate the IEP process with clarity, confidence, and results.
- From $250 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Leonardtown, MD · works with Pennsylvania schools
Douglas Hubscher
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…
- Anxiety, ADHD / Attention, Autism Spectrum, Behavioral & Emotional
- From $1 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Newcastle, OK · works with Pennsylvania schools
Lyndon Parker
Special Education Advocate - IEP Consultant
Former special education teacher and educational advocate with experience on both sides of the IEP table.
- From $65 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
See all 23 virtual advocates who work with Pennsylvania families
Which district is in the room
4 public schools inside Chester belong to Chester-Upland 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.
Buildings do not fund services and districts do. Ask which office is deciding before you spend a meeting arguing with the wrong one.
- District Chester-Upland School District
- County Delaware County
- Public schools inside Chester 4
- Size Chester is the 15th-largest city in Pennsylvania by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Harrisburg, PA
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
The deadlines that apply in Pennsylvania
No Pennsylvania deadline applies to a written evaluation request. Federal rules still require a response within a reasonable time.
Keep every email. Most of what an advocate does with a Chester file is date-stamping what the school already told you.
Pennsylvania gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. No Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Who licenses advocates in Pennsylvania
Certification programs exist and some advocates hold them. None of them is issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education, and none of them is required to sit in a Pennsylvania IEP meeting.
Chester-Upland School District does not approve or bar advocates. Federal rules let a parent bring anyone with knowledge of the child to the meeting.
What an advocate cannot do
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in Chester can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
Chester-Upland School District answers to the parent on the paperwork, so an advocate can draft the letter and you still have to be the one who sends it.
Local advocates and video advocates
Rates and openings decide most of this. An advocate who cannot meet before your Chester meeting date is the wrong hire, and the second-best advocate who is free this month usually beats the best one who is not.
Ask for two references from cases like yours. Somebody who cannot produce one has not worked many.
Chester IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Chester, Pennsylvania, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in Chester?
Rates run $75 to $250 per hour. What moves the number is experience, the type of case, and whether anyone has to drive to the meeting. Profiles here show the rate when the advocate publishes one.
At what point do parents usually call an advocate?
Bring somebody in when the file stops making sense to you. A routine review with services in place and progress data that moves usually does not need one.
Do I need a lawyer or an advocate for my child?
Two different jobs. The advocate works the IEP process and the attorney works the legal one. If a hearing is already filed, you need the attorney.
Which school district serves Chester, Pennsylvania?
Chester-Upland School District runs the IEP meetings for most Chester students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
Are there any IEP advocates near Chester?
No advocate is listed in every town, and each card here says where that person lives. Somebody who knows the state rules and has an opening this month usually beats the nearest name on the list.
Official special education resources in Pennsylvania
Official Pennsylvania links for parents in Chester.
Sources for the Pennsylvania rules on this page
- 22 Pa. Code 14.123, Evaluation (22 Pa. Code 14.123(b))
- PDE state complaints and dispute resolution
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
Nearby cities in Pennsylvania
The same Pennsylvania rules apply in Bethel Park, Norristown, Monroeville, State College and the other cities listed here, or see every Pennsylvania advocate.
What to do next
Start with two calls, not six. Ask each advocate what they would do first with a Chester file, and hire the one whose answer is specific enough that you could write it down as a task.
Two questions sort most of this out. What would you do first with this file, and what does that cost.
