HISD has said ongoing changes are happening within the program, but did not say how many families will be impacted.
Thursday, May 7, 2026 6:36PMThe Houston Independent School District has released more information on changes coming to its special education program. HISD is saying that for the majority of students in the special education program, nothing will change.
The district releasedHISD draft documents obtained by ABC13 propose major changes for special educationHISD says that inclusion and resource services will continue to be provided at every campus, but that specialized self-contained programs with more intensive behavior supports will now be offered at only 150 schools across the district.
"Some students, though, will be required to move campus locations so they can access the services in the self-contained setting. We will still have over half of our campuses that offer self-contained classrooms for students, but some families will be required to move schools to be able to access those services," explained Deputy Superintendent Kristen Hole in the video.
Some parents who spoke with ABC13 said they feared the changes were a money-saving measure, but the district says that is not the case. Their website says the district will not be reducing spending on special education for the 2026-2027 school year. The district says these changes came in part after hearing from parents and teachers that students in the self-contained classrooms needed more support.
On HISD's website, it says the new plan will lower class sizes, concentrate resources, and, in turn, result in fewer programs offered at each school. HISD says they plan to call every family in the program directly, whether you have to switch schools or not. They say they have already started reaching out to parents and that they will work to contact every family in the first two weeks of May.
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