From the Houston Chronicle:
“Before Houston ISD can consolidate its special education services, it has to review thousands of students’ individualized education programs and meet with their families. That’s the explicit order from the Texas Education Agency, which investigated the district’s plans.
… ‘TEA is not telling Houston, “You can’t do this.” They can. … It’s just, “If you’re going to do this, here’s what has to happen first,” said Colleen Potts, supervising attorney for Disability Rights Texas. ‘It doesn’t seem to me in (HISD’s) guidance, that there’s any promise of holding an IEP meeting for all of these kids.’
…In its letter to HISD, the TEA threatened further state sanctions if HISD does not comply with its order for corrective action by Oct. 9.
Potts said it is unclear what sanctions the state could impose on a district that is already under a state conservatorship and takeover.
HISD’s special education department has been under a state conservator since Dec. 2020 and the district’s state takeover began in 2023.
‘I don’t think we’ve ever been here,’ Potts said. ‘I think this would be the first time in the state’s history that I know of that conservatorship isn’t enough of a sanction.’ ”
Read the full story from the Houston Chronicle.