Some HISD families have endured a one-two-three punch since February: school closure, rezoning to an NES or Future2 AI campus, and special education reassignments that may not comply with federal law.
Sign up to speak at Thursday’s HISD Board of Managers meeting. Demand that the takeover administration do no more harm to Houston students, families, and educators. Here are step-by-step instructions.
In the last month, Miles has announced-
- Nine Future 2 AI Schools at Bonham, Shadydale, Southmayd, Deady, Forest Brook, Hartman, Sugar Grove Academy, Clemente Martinez and Greg.
- Nine more NES schools - at Barrick, Bastian, Benbrook, Burnet, Carillo, Ed White, Foster, Garcia, and Law.
- Special education campus consolidations affecting about 5,000 families: On Friday, families learned their children in self-contained classrooms would be reassigned to different campuses this fall. Without leaked documents on April 27, families would have had no warning.
Also on Friday, the “U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into whether HISD’s restructuring of special education services violates the rights of students with disabilities.”
Your voice matters because people are watching: elected officials, the media, and the broader public, even if the Board of Managers and Miles are not listening.
This is manufactured chaos. Last week, HISD administration was reportedly calling campuses, trying to determine where there was room for students.
One parent planned to send twins to the same middle school, only to learn Friday that their child with a disability had been reassigned 40 minutes away from their sibling. These decisions disrupt families and raise concerns when they appear predetermined rather than individualized as required by federal law.
Shana Halvorsen, a parent with the Houston Special Education Parents Association (SEPA), said, “HISD seems to be prioritizing operational convenience over inclusion by relocating vulnerable students based on service labels rather than building supports at their home campuses.”
If your child received a reassignment letter Friday, request a placement ARD meeting immediately. Learn more at this link, and follow the Houston Special Education Parent Association and Community Voices for Public Education Facebook groups for updates and support.
Register by Wednesday at noon. Parents and students speak first at 5 PM (or later after 6:30 pm) and must complete both the registration form and emailed follow-up form. Speakers are called based on check-in time, not agenda order. You have 1 minute (150 words).
Parents, teachers, and principals don’t want this. This is not an easy fight, but if not you, who?
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