Fort Worth Report

They don’t attend the same school. They aren’t in the same grade. They don’t even share a diagnosis. But Kim Medford’s seventh grader and Ashish Talwar’s first grader share one thing: a parent who says making sure Fort Worth ISD follows their special education plan has become a second job. As cars buzzed by, the two stood outside the gates of FWISD’s District Service Center alongside other parents and advocates from Literacy Fort Worth. They want the district to make special education meetings work for children — and to prove the services it promises actually reach the classroom. Both parents want FWISD to do its job. “I’m a nurse by trade, but I’ve become my son’s caseworker,” Medford said. “It’s not our job to act as daily auditors,” Talwar said. Caroline James, executive director of Literacy Fort Worth, said parents shouldn’t have to become full-time case managers to make sure their children get basic support. James has attended more than 100 special education meetings in 10 Tarrant County districts. None are doing a great job, she said. “We are failing students and families at scale,” James said.