HOUSTON — Parents of students receiving special education services gathered Wednesday evening to seek guidance on challenging the Houston Independent School District’s plan to consolidate special education programs at selected campuses beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
The district’s restructuring plan, which prompted an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, will transfer some students from their neighborhood schools to designated campuses that will serve as special education hubs. HISD informed affected families of the changes through letters sent home in early May.
Special education advocate Karen Mayer Cunningham organized the meeting in the parking lot of Bellaire High School, one of the campuses affected by the restructuring. She advised parents to file formal complaints with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), disregard the transfer notices and bring their children to the campuses listed in their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) on Aug. 10, the first day of the school year.
Parents said they were concerned that the district announced the changes without their consent.
Under state guidelines, schools develop IEPs based on student assessments and with parental approval. Any changes to an IEP require a meeting between the district and parents, followed by a revised agreement.
Monica Cavazos-Rosas said her son, Carlos, who has autism and has attended Bellaire High School for three years, received a letter in May informing the family that he would need to transfer to Sharpstown High School to continue receiving the same special education services. She said the letter also stated that his teacher would move to Sharpstown.
Cavazos-Rosas said her family immediately filed a complaint with the TEA, which told her it expected to complete its review by early July.
She said a district official called her on Wednesday, hours before the meeting, and informed her that Carlos would be allowed to remain at Bellaire for his senior year. Cavazos-Rosas said the district had not yet provided written confirmation.
She added that a neighbor whose senior also receives special education services at Bellaire received a similar call from the district.
HISD did not respond to questions about whether it plans to allow high school seniors or other students to remain at their current campuses.
Several parents who attended the meeting declined to speak publicly, saying they feared their children could face retaliation. They asked what steps they could take to prevent transfers and what legal rights they have under special education law.
HISD’s restructuring plan drew criticism after documents outlining the changes became public. The district formally notified affected families in early May, giving them several months to prepare for possible school transfers.
Cavazos-Rosas said she began preparing her son for the possibility of changing schools because students with autism often need advance notice of significant changes.
Days after HISD announced the plan, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into whether the district’s restructuring complies with federal disability laws.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said placement decisions for students with disabilities must be made individually based on each student’s needs rather than through blanket policies that group students by disability category.
The Office for Civil Rights said public schools must educate students with disabilities alongside their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate and must follow required procedures when making placement decisions.
The federal investigation remains ongoing, and no public updates have been released.
HISD has defended the restructuring and said it will proceed with the changes. The district said the plan expands access to special education services at more than half of its campuses and aims to increase services in the least restrictive environment, strengthen instructional systems and improve student outcomes.
