HOUSTON – With the first day of school just weeks away, some Houston ISD parents of students receiving special education services say they are still unsure where their children will attend class this fall as the district moves forward with its Student Success Program.
The program will focus on creating smaller classes, increasing classroom staffing, reducing age ranges within self-contained classrooms, providing additional specialized staff training and expanding opportunities for inclusive learning experiences.
HISD also said it will continue reviewing students’ IEP, Individualized Education Programs, calling the process part of the district’s ongoing intervention exit criteria and saying the reviews are consistent with guidance from the TEA.
The concerns come as the Texas Education Agency confirms it has received multiple complaints related to the district’s special education restructuring and, in one case, found HISD failed to follow required federal special education procedures before changing a student’s campus assignment.
Parents say uncertainty remains
Dina Kushaliyeva, the mother of a second-grade student with autism, says her daughter was expected to attend Sinclair Elementary. Instead, she says the family still doesn’t know where she will attend school when classes begin.
“We’re four weeks away from starting school, I still don’t know where my child is going to go,” Dina said. “At this point, she could be going to Sinclair, she could be going to Wainwright.”
Dina says consistency is critical.
“It took us months to get her used to the concept of coming to school. It took her months of getting used to here’s where the bathrooms are. It took us months to get used to recess time,” she said.
Dina says she recently filed her own complaint with the Texas Education Agency.
One parent’s complaint leads to TEA investigation
Another Houston ISD parent, Stefanie Naranjo, also raised concerns after learning her first-grade son, Achilles, who has autism, could be reassigned from Sinclair Elementary.
Naranjo says she initially received a letter assigning her son to Wainwright Elementary before later being told he would instead attend Memorial Elementary.
“I wanted him to stay at Sinclair, especially because his brother is still going to be going to Sinclair,” Naranjo said.
Naranjo filed a complaint with the Texas Education Agency, prompting an investigation into whether HISD followed federal special education law.
According to TEA’s investigative report, the agency determined HISD did not violate federal law simply because it changed the student’s campus. However, investigators found the district failed to follow required procedures because the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) specifically identified Sinclair Elementary as the school where services would be provided. TEA concluded HISD should have convened the student’s IEP team before changing the campus assignment.
The report also found the district could not effectively change part of the student’s IEP without following the required IEP process. As a result, TEA determined HISD failed to comply with federal regulations governing educational placement decisions and IEP development.
District-wide corrective actions ordered
The findings extended beyond Naranjo’s individual complaint.
TEA ordered Houston ISD to complete several district-wide corrective actions, including:
- Reviewing impacted students’ IEPs before campus reassignments
- Determining whether proposed campus changes could have harmful effects on students
- Holding IEP (ARD) meetings with families when required before students are moved
- Revising special education policies and procedures
- Providing additional training for district special education staff
- Submitting regular progress reports to the agency while conservators oversee compliance efforts.
The agency also ordered HISD to complete corrective actions for Naranjo’s son before any campus reassignment occurs.
HISD says program will continue
Despite the investigation, Houston ISD says it is moving forward with the Student Success Program for the 2026-27 school year.
According to the district, the program is designed to improve special education services by:
- Creating smaller class sizes
- Adding specialized staff
- Expanding inclusive learning opportunities
- Increasing support for students with disabilities
HISD says students will continue receiving the services outlined in their Individualized Education Programs.
The district also says it is reviewing students’ IEPs and will contact families to schedule an Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meeting if one is required.
In its statement, HISD emphasized that a change in campus location alone does not automatically require an ARD meeting if a student’s IEP services remain unchanged. The district says educational placement and campus location are separate legal concepts and maintains that students’ services continue regardless of where those services are delivered.
Deputy Superintendent Kristen Hole said in the statement:
“Every student will continue receiving the services outlined in his or her IEP.”
HISD also says families have been notified through letters, phone calls and emails and that any necessary ARD meetings will be scheduled before the start of the school year.
Parents want the district to slow down
Neither Dina nor Naranjo says they oppose improving special education services.
Instead, they say they want the district to pause implementation until families have more certainty and a greater opportunity to participate in decisions affecting their children’s education.
“They should wait another year,” Naranjo said. “I actually went and toured Memorial just in case he did go there, and they told me they were only going to have kinder and first. So even if he went there next year, he would be moving again after the school year was over.”
Dina says parents are asking the district to involve families before additional changes are made.
“All we’re asking is pause, pause. Let us go back to where we were. Bring everybody who’s supposed to be part of that conversation to the table.”
What’s next?
TEA says Houston ISD must complete multiple corrective actions over the coming months, including reviewing student records, revising policies, training staff and submitting progress reports to the agency as it monitors the district’s compliance with federal special education requirements.
KPRC 2 reached out to both Houston ISD and the Texas Education Agency asking what the next steps are, whether additional complaints are under review and how families affected by campus reassignments should proceed. We are waiting for responses.