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 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Special education and Section 504 advocates for Pittsburgh School District families in Pittsburgh.
3 based in Pennsylvania · 3 virtual advocates who work with Pennsylvania schools
What an IEP advocate is
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.
Families in Pittsburgh and Allentown 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 a Pittsburgh 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 a Pittsburgh team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
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 Pittsburgh 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 Bloomington, IL · works with Pennsylvania schools
Jade Adkins
Founder & Advocate
Jade is a former special education teacher who has taught everything from pre-k all the way to transition classrooms with students up to age 21.
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability
- From $75 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
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 San Diego, CA · works with Pennsylvania schools
Sanford Autism Advocacy Group
Special Education Advocate
At the Sanford Autism Advocacy Group (SAAG), we are a small but mighty special education consulting group with an emphasis on Autism and IEPs.
- Autism, Other Health Impairment, Speech/Language, IDEA
- From $200 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
See all 28 virtual advocates who work with Pennsylvania families
The district behind a Pittsburgh IEP
53 public schools inside Pittsburgh belong to Pittsburgh 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.
An Allentown 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 Pittsburgh School District
- County Allegheny County
- Public schools inside Pittsburgh 53
- Size Pittsburgh is the 2nd-largest city in Pennsylvania by the 2024 Census estimate
- Closest listed advocate Philadelphia, PA
Confirm your child's district by address. Pittsburgh addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
What the clock is here
The clock that matters starts when you sign consent. In Pennsylvania it runs 60 calendar days.
If the Pittsburgh team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
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 Pittsburgh IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
Check the references and not the letters after the name. Two calls to past clients settle it faster than any credential list.
Where advocacy stops
Advocates do not decide complaints. The Pennsylvania Department of Education does, and only after someone files one in writing.
You sign, not the advocate. Consent and the plan itself both need a parent signature.
Who serves Pittsburgh today
Being listed for Pennsylvania is not the same as taking Pittsburgh cases, so read the service area on each of the 3 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Experience with Pittsburgh School District matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Pittsburgh IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?
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.
Who runs special education for Pittsburgh schools?
Most Pittsburgh families work with Pittsburgh School District. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
Are there free IEP advocates in Pittsburgh?
Free guidance exists. Parent centers, disability rights agencies and local parent groups all give it, and none of them will attend the meeting as your representative.
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.
What documents does an advocate need from me?
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 Pittsburgh.
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 Allentown, Philadelphia, Reading, Erie and the other cities listed here, or see every Pennsylvania advocate.
Before you contact anyone
You are not limited to advocates inside Pittsburgh. The closest listed office is in Philadelphia, and distance matters less than whether that person has worked a case in your district.
Have the most recent Pittsburgh School District progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
