Meet the advocates who truly get it

At the Hynes Education Advocacy Group, our team is more than just experienced professionals. We are educators who have led school systems and parents who are navigating the educational journey for our own child. This unique blend of professional expertise and personal understanding allows us to advocate for your family with unparalleled clarity, credibility, and compassion.

Erin M. Hynes: Navigating the System with Expertise and Empathy.

Erin brings a rare combination of district-level leadership, instructional expertise, and lived parent advocacy. As a former K–12 Curriculum and Instructional Leader in a large, high-performing Long Island district, she supervised all instructional and student support departments including Special Education, ENL, Guidance, Universal Pre-K, Instructional Technology, and MTSS. She supported over 50 administrators and nearly 1,000 educators, ensuring alignment between district policy, classroom implementation, and student outcomes.

Erin understands how districts interpret and implement special education law, how staffing allocations and grant funding (including 611 & 619 Special Education grants) affect service delivery, and how Board of Education priorities shape decision-making behind the scenes. She has chaired Board committees, drafted district goals aligned with strategic plans, updated discipline policies to restorative frameworks, and overseen state assessments, accreditation processes, and curriculum development initiatives. Her systems-thinking approach ensures advocacy is grounded not only in compliance, but in sustainable, real-world application.

Her professional experience also includes serving as a District Administrator for Curriculum, Literacy Coach, and Reading Specialist, giving her a deep understanding of evidence-based instruction, literacy development, and differentiated support for diverse learners. As a certified School District and Building Administrator, Reading Specialist, and Elementary Educator, she evaluates IEPs with both instructional precision and administrative insight.

Erin’s commitment extends well beyond professional roles. She is a Board Member for Parent to Parent through OPWDD, an advocacy cohort member of NYS Partners in Policy, and a former SEPTA Board Member in her home district. Most importantly, she brings lived experience as a parent navigating SYIIT, CPSE, and CSE processes for her own daughter.

She reads IEPs through dual lenses: compliance with law and practical classroom implementation — ensuring advocacy is grounded in both rights and meaningful instructional impact for children.

Dr. Michael Hynes: Guiding Families with Strategy and Strength.

Dr. Michael Hynes brings almost 30 years of public education teaching and  leadership experience — including service as Superintendent of Schools — to his work as a child advocate.

He has led school districts at the highest levels, overseeing special education systems, district-wide curriculum, student services, budget development, policy implementation, and compliance with state and federal regulations. He understands how educational decisions are made — from the classroom level to the Board of Education.

As a certified Special Education teacher with a background in psychology, Dr. Hynes understands not only the legal framework of IDEA, but also the instructional, developmental, and emotional needs of students. He has worked directly with school attorneys and navigated the complexities of staffing and service delivery.

What makes him particularly effective as an advocate is this:

He understands the system from the inside.

Families working with him benefit from:

  • Executive-level systems knowledge

  • Special education expertise

  • Psychological insight into child development

  • Practical understanding of classroom implementation

  • Credible communication with teachers, administrators, and attorneys

In short, he is uniquely positioned to bridge families and school systems — ensuring that children receive the services, supports, and opportunities they deserve.

Why our advocacy is personal

Our passion for this work stems from both professional dedication and deeply personal experience. We have spent our careers inside public education systems, but our truest motivation comes from our role as parents of a child with disabilities. We know the vulnerability, the protectiveness, and the hope involved in advocating for your own child. This isn't just a business for us; it's a commitment to ensuring every child is understood, every family feels heard, and every plan is truly individualized. We are motivated by progress, not conflict, and by ensuring children receive what they need to thrive, learn, and feel valued.

You'll feel confident, reassured, and safe with help advocates.

After visiting our 'Our Team' page, we hope you leave with one clear understanding: HELP is led by people who truly understand both the system and the heart behind it. You'll feel confident that you’re working with experienced professionals who have led school systems, and reassured that we are also parents who have sat in IEP meetings for our own child. You'll feel grounded knowing our approach is calm, strategic, and collaborative, and safe to share your concerns. We are educators who have led the system, and parents who are still living it. If you walk away thinking, “They get it,” then we have accomplished what matters most.