FOX 26 Houston

Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) says it plans to enter Klein ISD schools and speak with students and staff after a federal judge ruled the district violated federal law by restricting the organization’s monitoring access. The judgment, signed Sept. 28 by U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett, places the district under a permanent injunction requiring reasonable, unaccompanied monitoring access under court-ordered protocols, including opportunities to communicate privately with students with disabilities. Speaking with FOX 26, Shiloh Carter, senior litigation attorney for Disability Rights Texas, outlined what advocates intend to do with that access and the concerns that led to the lawsuit. In 2023, Carter said, the organization began receiving concerns from Klein ISD parents and staff about district programs. Carter said advocates tried to explain their federal monitoring authority to district officials and provided case law supporting that access. But she said they repeatedly encountered restrictions. When advocates attempted to monitor Benfer Elementary, district law enforcement issued criminal trespass warnings, Carter said. The organization then pursued legal action