Special education and Section 504 advocates for Monongalia County Schools families in Morgantown.
3 virtual advocates who work with West Virginia schools
Hiring one is optional. Nothing in federal law requires a parent to bring an advocate to an IEP meeting.
The search usually starts the week a parent reads an evaluation report and cannot tell from it whether Morgantown schools are offering enough.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Morgantown team ever sits down.
Read the evaluation report twice. The second read is where the missing service usually shows up.
These advocates are not based in West Virginia. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Hawthorne, NJ · works with West Virginia schools
IEP Consultant, School Social Worker, Advocacy
I am a Child Study Team School Social Worker, with a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. I have core competencies in special education law, mental health, and behavioral health.
Virtual · based in Los Angeles, CA · works with West Virginia schools
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.
Virtual · based in Midland, TX · works with West Virginia schools
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
See all 26 virtual advocates who work with West Virginia families
Monongalia County Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Morgantown students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
A Huntington parent group can tell you how the same district handled a case like yours, which is worth more to read than a policy page.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
The deadline for finishing an initial evaluation in West Virginia is 80 calendar days. Put that date on your calendar the day the paperwork goes in.
If the Morgantown team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
West Virginia gives a school district 80 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 10 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the West Virginia Department of Education, Office of Special Education, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Morgantown 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.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Morgantown. Anyone who does is selling you something.
Monongalia County Schools is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
Rates and openings decide most of this. An advocate who cannot meet before your Morgantown 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 whether the advocate has sat in a Monongalia County Schools meeting before. The answer is a yes or a no and it tells you a great deal.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Morgantown, West Virginia, 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?
Most parents call after a school says no to testing, after goals repeat unchanged for a year, or a week before an annual review. Earlier is cheaper. An advocate hired the night before a meeting can only read so much.
What district will be at my IEP meeting in Morgantown?
Most of the city sits inside Monongalia County Schools. 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.
How many days does an initial evaluation take?
The rule here is 80 calendar days. It covers the evaluation only. Writing the plan after a child is found eligible is a separate step with its own timing.
Is a 504 plan weaker than an IEP?
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.
Official West Virginia links for parents in Morgantown.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same West Virginia rules apply in Huntington, Parkersburg, Charleston, Wheeling and the other cities listed here, or see every West Virginia advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Morgantown and Huntington. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Have the most recent Monongalia County Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
