HOUSTON – Houston ISD parents and special education advocates are raising new concerns about the district’s proposed plans that could move some students with disabilities to different campuses next school year.
The changes come as both state and federal agencies investigate complaints tied to the district’s special education policies.
According to parents and advocates, specialized self-contained programs will now only be offered at roughly 150 schools across the district, meaning some students may be reassigned to different campuses to access services.
Among them is HISD parent Mireille Patman, whose son Teddy has Down syndrome and has received special education services throughout his time in the district.
Patman says her son, currently an eighth grader at Frank Black Middle School, is expected to move campuses as he transitions into high school.
While she appreciates that the new campus is closer to home, she says the process surrounding the decision has raised concerns.
“There are safeguards parents receive at every ARD meeting,” Patman said. “And the fact that that meeting did not take place and yet I received a phone call is in violation of that.”
ARD meetings, known as Admission, Review and Dismissal meetings, are required under federal law to help determine services and placement decisions for students with disabilities.
Patman argues students are being reassigned based on policy changes rather than individual student needs.
“So basically what has happened here is they are predetermining children’s placement based on no data to support the decision,” Patman said.
She also worries the changes could isolate students with disabilities from their non-disabled peers.
“The inclusion piece is crucial because that’s how kids learn from one another,” Patman said. “I depend on my community to help my child learn how to speak properly, how to act properly. And when I’m not in that environment to the maximum extent provided by federal law, then my child is going to regress without a doubt.”
Special education advocate Cynthia Singleton, who has more than 20 years of experience in the field, says the concerns go beyond transportation or school assignments.
Singleton says the district’s proposal to centralize certain self-contained programs into specialized hubs could violate federal inclusion requirements designed to ensure students with disabilities have access to general education settings alongside their peers.
“The proposal is to put multiple self-contained and behavior classes on these campuses,” Singleton said. “The idea of having general education access is that you have a sprinkling of special ed students in the regular classroom, so they are benefiting from being around their non-disabled peers.”
Singleton questioned whether students placed in specialized hubs would still have equal access to extracurricular activities and broader campus life.
“Are they gonna be able to participate in school activities like choir or band or sports?” Singleton said. “But the key crux is that they’re primarily being placed there because they have a disability.”
Singleton also criticized the Texas Education Agency’s intervention in HISD for a number of reasons, including the special education department.
“The real story is that TEA, the agency charged with enforcing students’ civil and special education rights, took over HISD’s special education department in 2020,” Singleton said. “Yet their appointee has created a blanket policy that is violating the civil rights of students.”
The Texas Education Agency confirmed to KPRC 2 News it has received multiple complaints related to the changes.
“TEA is in receipt of multiple complaints and will be investigating each,” the agency said in a statement. “TEA strongly encourages anyone with a special education concern to submit a complaint to the agency. Each complaint is thoroughly investigated by TEA.”
How to File a TEA Special Education Complaint: Special Education Complaints Process | Texas Education Agency
The concerns also come amid a separate federal investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Federal officials announced the investigation last week to determine whether HISD’s proposed changes violate Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In a statement announcing the investigation, federal officials said schools are required “to the maximum extent appropriate” to educate students with disabilities alongside non-disabled peers and make placement decisions based on individual student needs.
HISD has defended the proposed changes, saying the district is working to improve services and expand access for students receiving special education support.
In a video posted online, Deputy Superintendent Kristen Hole said some students historically had to leave their home campuses because services were unavailable there.
“What we actually can do now is provide services to them at any campus at HISD,” Hole said. “So, we’re really increasing their choice and their access to services across the district.”
The district also says it plans to increase support in self-contained classrooms through smaller class sizes and additional staffing.
Still, Hole acknowledged some students will need to change campuses under the proposal.
“Some students though will be required to move campus locations so that they can access the services in the self-contained setting,” Hole said.
For many parents, one of the biggest frustrations is timing.
Patman says deadlines for school choice transfers and the Texas Education Freedom Accounts have already passed, leaving families feeling trapped.
“It’s come and gone,” Patman said. “So, our hands are tied, and I refuse to think that that is the only thing that parents have on their side.”
Parents also say they still have unanswered questions about transportation, staffing, classroom setup and how students will transition into new learning environments before next school year begins.
“When are they going to train teachers on this new system?” Patman said. “How do parents even go to a school to tour when they get a letter in their backpack saying, ‘You’re going to this school now’?”
Despite the uncertainty, Patman says parents are continuing to organize and advocate for their children.
“I’m thankful that parents are getting together and speaking up,” she said, “because that’s the only way that this group of our more vulnerable students are going to have a voice.”