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 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
See who is based in Harrisburg and who works with Pennsylvania schools by video before you contact anyone.
3 based in Pennsylvania · 3 virtual advocates who work with Pennsylvania schools
What an advocate does for a Harrisburg family
The job is plain. An advocate knows what services the school owes your child and asks for them in writing.
Parents in Harrisburg usually start looking for an advocate when a meeting is already on the calendar.
What the work looks like
During a Harrisburg IEP meeting an advocate writes down what the team agrees to and asks for it in the document before anyone leaves the room.
Harrisburg City School District keeps progress data on every goal in the plan. Ask for it as a table of dates and numbers rather than a paragraph.
Advocates based in Harrisburg and elsewhere in Pennsylvania
One of these advocates works from Harrisburg. The rest are based elsewhere in Pennsylvania. 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 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 Arlington Heights, IL · works with Pennsylvania schools
Angela Williams
Special Education Advocate
I am a former special education teacher, with experience in public and therapeutic day schools.
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Learning Disabilities
- Contact for rate
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual · based in Oscoda, MI · works with Pennsylvania schools
Michelle Velazquez
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.
- From $100 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
See all 28 virtual advocates who work with Pennsylvania families
Which district is in the room
Harrisburg City School District runs the IEP meetings for most Harrisburg students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
District lines and city lines are not the same thing. A street can sit inside one city and be zoned to the district next door.
- District Harrisburg City School District
- County Dauphin County
- Public schools inside Harrisburg 12
- Size Harrisburg is the 9th-largest city in Pennsylvania by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Philadelphia, PA
Confirm your child's district by address. Harrisburg addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
The deadlines that apply in Pennsylvania
Federal law lets a state write its own evaluation deadline instead of using the national one. What Pennsylvania actually requires is 60 calendar days.
Bring the last two report cards and the current plan. That is usually enough paper to start.
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.
A certificate says nothing about Harrisburg City School District. Ask instead what the advocate has filed there and what came back.
What an advocate cannot do
An advocate cannot make the district agree. What moves a district is the record you build, not the person sitting next to you, and a good advocate spends more hours on the record than in the room.
Harrisburg City 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
One advocate listed here, Boaz, works out of Harrisburg. The others reach Pennsylvania families by video or by driving in.
Distance is a scheduling problem and not a legal one. Meetings run by video whenever the parent and the school both agree to it.
Harrisburg IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in Harrisburg?
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.
Can an advocate join an IEP meeting by video?
Yes, with one condition. The school has to agree to the meeting format, so put the request in writing before the date is set.
Which school district serves Harrisburg, Pennsylvania?
Most Harrisburg families work with Harrisburg City School District. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
How long does the IEP evaluation process take in Pennsylvania?
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.
Are there any IEP advocates near Harrisburg?
Every card on this page names the city the advocate works from. Advocates listed under the virtual heading live somewhere else and work with families here by video or phone.
Official special education resources in Pennsylvania
Official Pennsylvania links for parents in Harrisburg.
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 Levittown, York, Lancaster, 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 Harrisburg file, and hire the one whose answer is specific enough that you could write it down as a task.
Say the name of your school and Harrisburg City School District in the first message. That is enough for an advocate to know whether they can take the case.
