HISD says it is moving forward with its special education restructuring for the 2026-27 school year. The update comes as the TEA continues investigating complaints filed by parents and advocates.
Houston ISD says it will continue implementing its Student Success Program despite ongoing concerns from parents and a state investigation into multiple complaints. – HISD says it will continue moving forward with its Student Success Program for the 2026-27 school year, while state officials continue investigating complaints surrounding the district’s special education changes.
The program is part of the district’s restructuring of some of its special education services. The district provided new details Monday in a news release outlining how it plans to continue implementing the program, which district leaders say is designed to strengthen services for students receiving special education support.
According to the news release, the Student Success Program will focus on creating smaller classes, increasing classroom staffing, reducing age ranges within self-contained classrooms, providing additional specialized staff training and expanding opportunities for inclusive learning experiences. HISD also said it will continue reviewing students’ IEP, Individualized Education Programs, calling the process part of the district’s ongoing intervention exit criteria and saying the reviews are consistent with guidance from the TEA.
“The review of IEPs and the provision of special education services have been an ongoing component of the district’s intervention exit criteria and is part of our continued commitment to ensuring every student receives the services identified by the ARD Committee,” the district said in the news release. HISD said if those reviews determine an Admission, Review and Dismissal Committee meeting is necessary for an individual student, families will be contacted to schedule one during the 2026-27 school year.
According to HISD, a change in school location alone does not require an ARD meeting if a student’s IEP and services remain unchanged.
“Placement refers to the special education services and supports identified in a student’s IEP. Location refers to the campus where those services are provided,” the district said in the release.
“The Student Success Program is designed to provide students with stronger instructional supports, additional resources, and learning environments that better meet their needs,” Hole said in the release. “We will continue implementing these improvements while completing the reviews directed by TEA. ” HISD said it has spent the past several weeks notifying affected families through letters, phone calls and emails. The district said students’ IEPs remain in effect unless changes are made by an ARD Committee.
The update follows weeks of concern from parents and special education advocates after HISD announced some students in self-contained special education programs could be reassigned to different campuses beginning this school year. As previously reported by KPRC 2, parents argued the changes were being made without required ARD meetings and questioned whether the district was making placement decisions based on broad policy changes rather than each student’s individual needs.
Advocates also expressed concerns that consolidating some self-contained programs at fewer campuses could reduce opportunities for students with disabilities to learn alongside their non-disabled peers, a principle protected under federal special education law. During a May HISD board meeting, district leaders defended the changes, saying they are intended to improve academic outcomes by creating smaller self-contained classrooms, reducing the number of grade levels in each classroom, increasing staffing and expanding instructional support.
District leaders also maintained that students’ IEPs would not be changed without an ARD meeting. The latest update also comes as the Texas Education Agency continues investigating complaints related to the district’s special education changes.
“TEA is in receipt of multiple complaints and will be investigating each,” the agency said at the time. “TEA strongly encourages anyone with a special education concern to submit a complaint to the agency. Each complaint is thoroughly investigated by TEA. ” On Monday, KPRC 2 reached back out to TEA to ask about the status of those investigations and whether any findings have been made.
As of now, the agency has not responded. The special education changes have also drawn federal scrutiny. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into whether the district’s proposed changes comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Pasadena police sergeant resigns while under investigation over alleged misuse of Flock cameraHouston ICE shooting: Rep.
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