Having described these roles, I repeat the question, and then briefly flesh out my answers. Should you hire an advocate or an education lawyer? My answer is “it depends.” It depends on three things: First, at what stage is the disagreement or suspicion between you and the school district? Second, at what stage is in the IEP process are you? And third, what is your desired outcome, and how willing and able are you to compromise? 1. The stage of the disagreement. Perhaps I’m assuming too much. Maybe there’s no disagreement yet. Maybe you’re just confused and want to better understand your rights…

When the IEP process starts to feel like more than you can handle, one of the most important questions a parent of a child with disabilities needs to answer is what kind of professional assistance to seek navigating the special education system. The two most common answers to this question are (1) an education attorney, […]

The Role of a Non-Attorney Parent Advocate. Unlike attorneys, no certification exists for non-attorney parent advocates. (I’ll just use the word “advocate” from here on.) But many advocates have years of experience and training. You should choose one who has such experience and training. And you should not hesitate to ask a potential advocate what […]