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
Hiring one is optional. Nothing in federal law requires a parent to bring an advocate to an IEP meeting.
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
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence an Erie 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.
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 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 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
Virtual · based in Leesburg, FL · works with Pennsylvania schools
Evelyn Roman-Santos
CEO IEP Advocate Espanol
Evelyn Roman-Santos is a bilingual Special Education Advocate with 30 years of experience as a School Social Worker.
- From $120 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 22 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.
Parents in Bethlehem face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
- 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
Once you sign consent for testing, a Pennsylvania district has 60 calendar days to finish an initial evaluation, and that clock does not stop because a case manager is out or the file went to the wrong building.
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
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Erie IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
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.
You sign, not the advocate. Consent and the plan itself both need a parent signature.
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.
Advocates who take Bethlehem cases usually take these too. Say where you are in the first email so nobody wastes a week finding out.
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.
How much should I budget for one IEP meeting?
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 it too late to bring in 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.
Can an advocate represent me at a due process hearing in Pennsylvania?
An advocate is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice or file a lawsuit. What an advocate can do is build the written record a lawyer would need later.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Erie?
Most of the city sits inside Erie City School District. The district writes the plan and holds the special education budget, which is why a complaint about a missed service names the district and not the school.
What should I bring to the IEP meeting?
Bring the current IEP or 504 plan, the most recent evaluation report, the last two progress reports and any email where the school said no. An advocate who has those before the call can tell you what is missing in ten minutes.
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.
