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 Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie City School District staff run the IEP meetings in Erie. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
3 based in Pennsylvania · 3 virtual advocates who work with Pennsylvania schools
What an IEP advocate is
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
Families in Erie and Bethlehem 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.
Before and after an Erie IEP meeting
After the meeting the work is dull. The advocate reads the draft against the notes and sends a correction back the same week.
Read the evaluation report twice. The second read is where the missing service usually shows up.
Advocates based in Pennsylvania
No advocate in this directory lists Erie as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Pennsylvania, and each card names the city.
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
Based in Avondale, PA
Lisa Lightner
Personalized support from an Experienced Advocate
I'm Lisa Lightner, a Special Education Advocate with 16 years of experience helping families navigate IEPs, evaluations, placement disputes, and special education challenges.
- From $250 per hour
- 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 Chicago, IL · works with Pennsylvania schools
Milicia Brown
Virtual Special Education & IEP Consultant
I provide virtual IEP and special education support to families in Illinois and beyond. With experience as a Special Education Director, case manager, and special education teacher, I bring both…
- ADHD / Attention, Autism Spectrum, Behavioral Support, Behavioral & Emotional
- From $100 per hour
- Meets by video or phone
Virtual · based in Buford, GA · works with Pennsylvania schools
Dr. Mary Jo Ray-Jewett
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.
- From $100 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Austin, TX · works with Pennsylvania schools
David Gonzales
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.
- From $50 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
See all 28 virtual advocates who work with Pennsylvania families
The district behind an Erie IEP
15 public schools inside Erie belong to Erie City 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 Bethlehem parent group can tell you how the same district handled a case like yours, which is worth more to read than a policy page.
- District Erie City School District
- County Erie County
- Public schools inside Erie 15
- Size Erie is the 5th-largest city in Pennsylvania by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Philadelphia, PA
Confirm your child's district by address. Erie addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
What the clock is here
No Pennsylvania 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 Erie meeting, because a team that reads your list in advance cannot pretend it never came up.
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.
No license, no required certification
No state license exists for special education advocacy. No federal agency issues one either, and no exam stands between a person and the title.
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.
Where advocacy stops
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.
Erie City School District is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
Who serves Erie today
Being listed for Pennsylvania is not the same as taking Erie cases, so read the service area on each of the 3 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Ask whether the advocate has sat in an Erie City School District meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Erie IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Erie, Pennsylvania, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Erie, Pennsylvania?
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 is the difference between an IEP advocate and a special education attorney?
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.
Can we work with an advocate who lives outside Pennsylvania?
Yes. IDEA, the federal special education law, requires parent participation in IEP meetings and allows alternative means such as video or phone when you and the school agree. Your advocate does not have to live nearby.
Who runs special education for Erie schools?
Erie City School District runs the IEP meetings for most Erie students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
What is the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan?
An IEP is the stronger document because it carries goals, service minutes and progress reporting. Section 504 plans are faster to write and easier for a district to agree to.
Official special education resources in Pennsylvania
Official Pennsylvania links for parents in Erie.
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 Bethlehem, Reading, Allentown, Scranton and the other cities listed here, or see every Pennsylvania advocate.
Before you contact anyone
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Erie and Bethlehem. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Keep a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will start by building the same thing.
