[en español clic aquíStand up for every child’s right to learn: speak at the Aug 14th school board meeting and attend CVPE’s Aug 23rd HISD School Board endorsement meeting.

Parents are seeing the harm firsthand. Joni Brown wrote this powerful letter:

“As a new mom, preparing to send my twins, a boy and a girl, to an HISD early childhood center in a couple of weeks, I should be filled with excitement. Yet, I find myself feeling deeply anxious. With Superintendent Mike Miles now in control of HISD under the state-led takeover, everything feels uncertain, especially for families like mine. 

My son is on the autism spectrum and requires stability, compassion, and support to thrive. I worry that Mike Miles’ rigid, one-size-fits-all education model being implemented under the New Education System (NES) will leave him behind.

Early childhood centers should be nurturing spaces for young children. But under Miles, teachers are being pressured to follow scripted lessons and fast-paced instruction, leaving no room for flexibility or creativity. Children, especially neurodivergent ones, desperately need those things. My son benefits from individualized attention and sensory-friendly environments. 

But I fear my son’s needs won’t be met because Miles has drained resources from classrooms, turning libraries into “Team Centers” and stretching special ed services thin to fund consultants and inflated salaries for his inner circle.

I also worry about my daughter. She's bright, curious, and full of questions. I want her to be in a classroom where she feels safe, engaged, and encouraged to express herself. But the sterile, lockstep academic environment Miles is creating-even for the youngest learners-may not allow her to flourish in the way I hope. Early childhood education is more than academics; it's about emotional growth, social learning, and building the confidence to love school. I fear that this takeover is stripping away the heart of education.

As a parent, I feel shut out of the conversation. Decisions are being made at the top, far removed from the classrooms where my children will sit. Teachers are leaving, voices are being silenced, and parents are being told to trust a system that isn't listening. The well-being of my children should not be a political experiment.

I want my twins to love learning and feel valued just as they are. But under Mike Miles's leadership, I'm afraid they will be treated like data points instead of whole people. As a mother, I cannot stay silent. I have to speak out, stay involved, and fight for the schools my children deserve.”

Our kids deserve safe, inspiring classrooms—not scripted lessons and rigged test scores. Mike Miles' “historic gains” are built on pushing students out of the testing pool, not real learning. 

And don’t forget—you can pick up free books today for your child or their teacher at the HFT Book Giveaway at 2704 Sutherland.

Please join Joni in the fight for our children, our teachers and our schools.