Houston Press

In a scramble to prepare for the upcoming school year, Houston ISD representatives from various campuses have been calling parents of special education students in recent days, asking whether their child’s Individualized Education Program can be “amended” without an in-person meeting. What the district is looking for is a way to meet state and federal law requirements as it moves about 5,000 special ed students to new campuses in what Superintendent Mike Miles is calling a consolidated approach to improve outcomes for special ed students. Critics call it segregation and a violation of federal law. Even the Texas Education Agency has said HISD has not gone about this the right way. As part of HISD’s “Special Education Specialty Schools,” students would be moved away from the school they have been attending — often the one closest to their home — which is something they are specifically entitled to under federal law. Despite this, members of the state-appointed Board of Managers unanimously approved the plan in May…